Trigger of Change
by aiyumi
Summary: Legends 2 AU. All Sera and Geetz want is to erase the carbons. During their stay in the Sulphur-Bottom, they are frequently visited by the boy which reminds them of that annoying Purifier Unit... sometimes, a few small changes are all that is needed to trigger the bigger ones. Will they accomplish their mission, or will their views be changed?
1. The Coffee

A/n: I recently got back into Rockman DASH/Mega Man Legends and was inspired to write this. So, here we have... A Dash/Legends fic! (for those expecting an update to my Pokemon fic, sorry but you'll have to wait a bit more...)

The usual "gotchas": I'm bad with descriptions, English isn't my primary language, so there may (and will) be grammar errors, blah blah blah. And as is the case with all my stories, there will be a lot of emotional stuff.

Now with all that out of the way... Shall we continue? :P

* * *

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 1: The Coffee

Just a few moments of distraction, and the Flutter was on fire. Rock used the fire extinguisher and tried to put the fire out as quickly as possible.

"Now, only the kitchen to go..." He said after the fire from the living room was put out.

"Keee yaaaaah!" A screech came from the kitchen.

"Data!" Rock ran to the kitchen's door and opened it. He gasped when he got to the other side. The fire in there was much worse than in the other rooms. "Data! Where are you?"

"Hu hu hu hu." A creepy chuckle came from the middle of the flames.

"Who... Is there?"

The flames at the center suddenly disappeared and revealed a figure.

"It has been a long time, Rockman Trigger."

"Aaaaah!" Rock jumped in surprise. "J-Juno!?" _What's Juno doing inside the Flutter!?_ He thought, eyes widened in shock.

"Hmm. Perhaps you are in search of this little backup device?" Juno was holding Data, who had burns all over his body.

"R-Rock... He-elp!" The small monkey spoke with difficulty, almost losing consciousness.

"Data!"

Juno spoke. "That time, my mission failed, thanks to both of you."

"Let go of Data now!" Rock shouted in rage. "Or I will..." Rage turned into fear as he had the realization.

"You aren't even equipped with a weapon. What do you think you can do?"

Nothing. He could do nothing. Rock bit his lip. He only had the fire extinguisher on hand. Nothing that could be used for attacking.

Juno smirked. "Sorry to inform you, but this time, victory is mine! I shall terminate you, along with this storage device! Farewell, Rockman Trigger!"

Juno threw Data upwards, then shot a beam towards the remaining fire in the kitchen. It caused an explosion, which fully caught both Data and Rock.

"Aaaaah!" The boy screamed, with pain coursing through his body and smoke entering his eyes.

When he next came to his senses, he was lying somewhere, and Data came falling on top of him...

X:X:X:X:X

"The engines are ready," Roll said. "I'll prepare breakfast. Data, can you wake Rock up for me?"

"Kee kee kee!" The monkey robot nodded. He happily bounced towards Rock's room. The door was open, and he was able to enter without making noise. Data stopped near the bed. He decided to play a prank on Rock. He stayed quiet for a while, and as the boy didn't give any sign of waking up, Data pounced on him and shouted "Rooock! Good morniiiing!" But instead of scaring the boy, Data was the one to get a scare. "Wah! Aaaaah!" He shouted as Rock suddenly shot up from the bed, lifted him and squeezed him like there was no tomorrow.

"Data! Thank goodness...!"

"Aaaah! wh-what?" Data's eyes widened. He flailed in panic and tried to escape from Rock's vice grip.

"... Uh?" Rock blinked. He came to his senses and finally loosened his grip on Data. "Ah... Just a dream...?"

"Phew..." Data jumped to the bed beside Rock. "What happened? A nightmare?"

"Yeah..." Rock rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"What was it about?"

He didn't want to remind Data of the fire. It didn't seem like it, but Rock knew that his friend was still very upset about it. "Don't worry." He shook his head. "It didn't even make that much sense, hahahaha!"

"Okay then!" More relieved, Data started doing his trademark dance. "Aaanyway, Roll said that she's making breakfast. After breakfast, we'll go take the first key to the Sulphur-Bottom."

"Alright, you can go first. I'm coming."

"Kee kee!" Data hopped out of the bed and went through the door.

* * *

During the flight towards the Sulphur-Bottom, Rock stayed in his room. The nightmare was still in his head, and he had suspicions as to what had caused it.

It was on Kattelox that Rock began feeling so uneasy. First, Juno had mistaken him by someone named "Rockman Trigger." They fought, then Data appeared speaking a lot of "technicalese" and overrode Juno's commands. Data stopped the program that would wipe everyone from Kattelox, on behalf of a "First Class Purifier Unit Rockman Trigger," then said that Rock had built him and had stored his memories into him. It didn't make sense. Rock couldn't believe that he was someone else. The only thing he could think of, was that he was so tired after battling Juno that he had collapsed, then dreamed about Data repeating those terms that Juno had said. That had to be it, because since then, Data was the bouncy monkey Rock had always known, and never again made that serious face, nor spoke strange things in technical terms, nor made any mention of "Rockman Trigger" or "memory backup" or anything like that.

It was the night prior, when Roll asked him to bring her a book that was in Gramps' room. Rock was searching for the item and accidentally dropped a folder, which opened and spilled all its contents to the ground. He was trying to put everything back inside when one of the papers got his attention. It was titled "Rock's Discovery." Curiosity got the better of him and he proceeded to read it.

"I went to the ruins on Nino Island, wanting to research about old civilization's. Those ruins are said to be very dangerous and are usually closed, but when I got there, they were open for some reason. I couldn't resist and ended up entering them without the guildmaster's permission. There I found a strange crystal. It melted when I touched it, and a baby was inside with a small monkey robot. I couldn't simply leave him there, but as I had entered the ruins without permission, I couldn't reveal where I had found him, so I decided to raise him myself. I named him Rock, so that him and Roll together would make 'Rock n' Roll.' He grew up normally, like any other kid. He became good friends with Roll, and an important part of the family. Honestly, he's the best treasure I've found so far."

Rock was touched. He was somewhat relieved after finding that writing, because it confirmed that he had indeed been found as a baby... Inside some ruins that were usually closed, out of all places... But he didn't want to think about those details. The point was that he had been a baby like anyone else, grown up like anyone else, and spent all his life with Gramps and Roll. There was no way that he could not have been... Himself. His findings relieved him somewhat, but he was still thinking about those things when he went to sleep, probably the reason he had those nightmares that night, which involved Data and Juno, of course.

Farewell, Rockman Trigger!" Juno's last words from the nightmare haunted him.

"I don't have anything to do with this 'Rockman Trigger.' I'm me. I'm Rock Volnutt, just Rock Volnutt... Right?" He kept staring at the mirror, as if his reflected image could give the answer to his questions. He almost jumped when the reflection momentarily seemed to not be his own. He sighed in relief when it was back to normal after a blink, probably just his imagination... And nearly jumped again when he heard Data's voice.

"Rock! Roll asked me to tell you that we'll land in a few minutes!"

"Okay, thanks," Rock said, once more relieved that Data was normal.

Data was right. The Sulphur-Bottom was in sight and they would land shortly.

Rock would leave the key with Bluecher. After that... He wanted to do something different, to take focus away from his problems. He decided to go talk to everyone he met aboard the ship. Roll had made fun of him several times. She had commented that he acted like some RPG protagonist, talking to anyone he came across, and occasionally getting some gifts from the people... Rock smiled with the recollection while he got ready to leave the Flutter.

* * *

In a room in the Sulphur-Bottom, Geetz was in his humanoid form, standing near the bed Sera was lying on. They were stuck. They couldn't get the keys for themselves because Yuna had previously blocked their access to the ruins, meaning, the doors and elevators wouldn't work for either Mother Unit Sera or Servitor Unit Geetz. The only way to get around that was having some unsuspecting Carbon to get in there. As the Carbons from that ship seemed to have many resources at their disposal, they decided to get them to collect the keys. But instead of using all the equipment and personnel available, the men left everything in the hands of a boy. A simple, lone boy... The more Geetz thought, more it seemed like a bad idea, and a waste of time. "Mistress Sera?"

Sera slightly turned her head in his direction, acknowledging the call. She knew they were being monitored. She didn't want to move or talk much, because she was pretending to be in a weakened state.

"Do you think that the boy will be able to get the keys?" He asked.

She couldn't answer, because at that moment, a guard knocked on the door saying that Bluecher was calling.

"Excuse me. I will be back shortly," Geetz said, left, and forgot to close the door.

A few minutes passed. His "shortly" was taking longer than expected and Sera was getting impatient. That position was getting uncomfortable. Monitored or not, she decided to sit up for a bit. A weakened person should be able to at least sit up for a few minutes, right?

"Um, hi."

She jumped. Rock was standing outside looking at her, reminding her that the door was left open. Unlike when they first came to that ship, he wasn't in a digger suit. He wore a navy blue jeans and a white shirt, and looked like just an ordinary Carbon.

He kept speaking. "Nice to see you're doing okay. I wanted to talk to you before, but you were sleeping when I came the other time."

Sera's eyes quickly darted outside. Geetz was taking too much time to come back. She didn't want to speak much, so she wished he was there to relieve her from the talking.

There was no verbal response, but Rock took the hint. "About your friend, he's talking to Gramps right now. You know, Professor Barrell Caskett, the one that was with Mister Bluecher."

Sera nodded, surprised that he got the hint about Geetz's whereabouts without her having to ask. She didn't know what they were talking about, however she knew that, despite the serious mask, Geetz could be very talkative if given the chance, like when a certain Purifier Unit started hanging around with him, back in the Elysium days. She didn't approve of it. She always said that such actions were unnecessary and would only distract them from their work. He apologized and didn't argue, but she was sure that he still did it sometimes when she wasn't around.

Rock continued what he was saying. "Barrell is my grandfather... Well, not my true grandfather, because I'm adopted, but whatever..." Rock shrugged. "He's very interested in old civilization's. Now that he's finally found someone that actually knows about the subject... You see, it might be a while until your friend comes back."

Sera gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"I know it's hard. You suddenly appeared in a totally unknown place, with lots of people you've never seen before, and no one that you know around. Um, so... I can stay and keep you company, if you want." He offered. "Can I... Come in?" He asked hesitantly, after a few seconds without response.

All Sera wanted was to get the keys, find the Master's genetic code, go back to Elysium, and run the Carbon Reinitialization Program, as her duty dictated. She didn't see the need to talk to anyone there, specially since all of them would die after her mission was completed. Her work was first priority. But now that she was stuck and didn't have anything work related to focus on, she was at a loss. In fact, it was only the third day since her awakening, and the lack of activities was starting to get boring. Should she accept that Carbon's company, and maybe try to talk about those... Unnecessary things? Luckily for her, he seemed to say a lot of things without being asked, so he would probably do most of the talking. It could serve as a way to pass the time, at least. Besides, she still hadn't taken a good look at that boy who would be getting the keys for her. She finally nodded and allowed him inside.

"Well, so..." He considered what to talk about next. "Oh, right. I think we still don't know each other's names. My name's Rock. What's yours?"

"... ... Sera." She finally decided to speak, albeit in a low voice.

"Sera? Sera..." He repeated, with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm. It isn't a very common name, is it? Strange, because I have the impression that I've heard it before..."

Now that he mentioned it, Sera had the impression that she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember where. It could very well be just her imagination, because she thought something seemed off. Maybe it was his height, or the hair color, or both... She thought hard, but gave up, unable to conclude anything.

"Ah, it doesn't matter." Rock shook his head, also giving up. "Okay, so... Nice to meet you." He changed the subject. "By the way, I got the key."

That piqued her interest. She widened her eyes a bit, as if asking "really?"

"Yeah, it's true." Once more, he answered her unspoken question. "Want to see it? Mister Bluecher already got it stored in the other room, though. If you want, I can take you there."

Yes, she wanted to see it. It was still a bit hard to believe. She couldn't imagine that seemingly normal boy being able to bypass the System's security, and actually getting the key. But it wouldn't be right to leave the room. What if Geetz came back and didn't find her there? Plus, when he came, he would confirm that the key was there, right? ... Even so, she still wanted to see it with her own eyes...

"Can you walk?" Rock asked. "If not, I can carry you..."

Being carried? By a Carbon? That was humiliating. She decided to walk on her own and take the risk. No one should suspect anything if she moved slowly. But when she was about to stand up, Geetz appeared.

"Please, do not disturb Mistress Sera's sl... Oh." He stopped midsentence upon noticing that Sera was "awake."

"Oh, sorry." Rock apologized. "She was already awake when I arrived. She let me in and I offered to show her the key..."

"You let him in?" Geetz asked Sera, surprised that she would do such a thing.

She nodded.

"I confirm that the key is here." Geetz said firmly.

"But she still wants to see it." Rock protested.

Sera nodded once more. She slowly stood up, and took her servant aback.

"Ah! Mistress! What are you doing! ?" Geetz ran to her and held her. He didn't want to run the risk of having their cover blown. "You cannot push yourself like that. Please, go back to bed and rest. It is for your own safety..."

"Was she locked here for all this time? Maybe she just wants to stretch a bit..." Rock argued.

Geetz sighed. "Very well. I shall accompany you then. But Mistress Sera, please do not push yourself too much."

"You're coming too? Great!" Rock said, then turned to Sera. "Don't worry. There're two people looking over you. Everything will be fine."

* * *

The three left the room together. They walked slowly and silently until they got to the room with the key. It was there, enclosed by a protective transparent barrier, displayed proudly to anyone that entered the room.

"It... It is one of the keys indeed..." Sera said in a near whisper. Her red eyes burned intensely and reflected her satisfaction. It was her biggest display of emotion since the moment she got in that ship. However, it quickly faded away and soon she was back to cold and serious mode.

It happened so fast that Rock wondered if he had really seen her expression change or if it was just his imagination. He couldn't think over it for long because Geetz began talking to him.

"Mister Rock, correct?"

"Huh...?" Rock was unsure for a moment. Being addressed like that was weird. "... Y-yeah, but..." He would object to the "Mister" part, but Geetz kept speaking.

"You really got the key. We are very grateful for that."

The honorific was forgotten in favor of a more nagging matter. "You're welcome... But I have a question."

"Hm?"

"What do you need those keys for, actually?"

"Hmm?" Geetz was incredulous. What was Bluecher thinking? Did he ask for the boy's help without saying what it was about? Well, it somehow made sense, as the man could be withholding information and planning to get the "treasure" all for himself through the boy's efforts. "Weren't you told about it? These are the keys to unlock the legendary treasure, the 'Great Legacy...' Oh, apologies. I think the people here refer to it as the 'Mother Lode...'"

"Yeah, I know that." Rock nodded. "What I don't understand is..." He ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "Well, I heard that you were after the keys to be able to save her." He glanced at Sera. "But save her from what?"

So even that detail had gotten to the boy? Geetz was wrong. Bluecher wasn't withholding information. On the contrary, he was speaking too much. It was Geetz himself that needed to withhold information. "It is **our** problem. Something that you do not need to concern yourself about."

"Huh? But I'm helping too, aren't I? I think I could at least know what I'm helping to achieve."

Sera's good mood was getting ruined, and was slowly turning into irritation. That boy was smarter than they gave him credit for. Not to mention that something about the way he argued back reminded her of a certain annoying Purifier Unit.

Geetz didn't want to admit, but the boy had a point. Strangely, Rock seemed more worried for them than for the treasure. "**Our** problem is **ours** only, and does not concern you. The only thing that should matter to you, is that unlocking this technology can free all of you from your problems, and you will never need to worry about anything anymore." It was true, only not in the way he made it sound. Geetz proceeded to place promising ideas in the boy's head. "Have you ever imagined a perfect world, peaceful and without pain or suffering? That is what humanity craved for all these centuries, and it is what this past technology has the potential to bring." He meant for the restored humans, which would be the new inhabitants of Terra after the reinitialization took place.

Rock wasn't convinced. "Hmm, I don't know... Somehow I have a weird feeling about this."

"You are already helping us by getting the keys, and we are immensely grateful for that." Geetz tried flattering the boy's ego to see if he conceded. On Elysium, sometimes that was what took for some old lesser Units to work properly. "We are impressed that a youth like you was able to come this far."

"Thanks. I do what I can." To Geetz's dismay, Rock added. "So if I can help with anything else..."

Geetz sighed. "Just focus on getting the keys. It is more than enough."

"Hmm, okay..." Rock answered, but he still didn't look convinced.

"Mistress Sera, we should go back to our assigned room."

"Wait!" Rock stopped them. "Did you already get a tour of the ship?"

"... Actually, no." The Servitor Unit answered.

"Oh! Then I can show you around. The ship is huge and has a lot of technological stuff. It's amazing! Aren't you curious to see some technology that came after your time?"

"I apologize. Mister Bluecher instructed us to stay in that room. It is not wise for us to be outside for too long."

"Is that so? Wait here. ... Mister Bluecher?"

Rock ran out of the key's room, where Bluecher's office was, then proceeded to ask for authorization. Sera and Geetz could make out Rock's voice asking something, then Bluecher's voice saying, "If they are with you, I see no problem. I'll instruct the guards..." Followed by some more talk, then Rock came back.

"All clear."

"Hmm, they trust you too much..." Surprisingly, Sera was the one who spoke.

"Hahaha, I guess that's a good thing."

Mother and Servitor Units traded knowing looks. They didn't want to be moving around too much, risking blowing up their façade. But now they even had clearance from Bluecher. They would have to go. There was no choice.

"Shall we go, then?" Geetz chose to carry Sera so as to not raise suspicion.

* * *

They took a walk around the ship. Geetz tried, but was unable to hide his amazement towards the Carbon's technology. He couldn't avoid commenting on whatever piqued his interest.

Sera, on the other hand, was mostly silent. Carried by her servant, she observed the scenery around and their guide waving to anyone they came across. She mostly stayed quiet while the other two commented on the pieces of technology they saw. It was impressive how the Carbons managed to develop those things... Including three small yellow-headed robots that Rock ended up rescuing, even though they weren't part of the ship's tech nor Bluecher's crew. One was crying rather convincingly, the other was reading a book and the last one was complaining about hunger. These robots nowadays...

"Waaaaa! Where's everyone!?" The third one said, crying. "I'm hungry! Miss Tron said we'd have hamburger tonight! I want hamburger! Miss Tron! Where's Miss Tron!?"

"Hey."

As expected, the Servbot jumped and his already big eyes widened in shock. In the two cases prior, the reaction to the boy's arrival was very similar. "Aaaaah! M-Mister Rock!" ... Except for that.

"... Huh?" It was Rock's turn to be surprised. First Geetz, now them too? "... 'Mister...?'"

"Y-yes," the little robot answered. "ever since we learned of your name, that's how we've been calling you!" The Servbot didn't look afraid anymore. His eyes were lighting up with hope. "By the way, you know where Miss Tron is, right? Right? Please, say 'yes...!'"

_Poor thing,_ Rock thought. "Umm, sorry, I don't. I hadn't seen her since Pokte Village."

"Po... Po-Pokte... Village!" The Servbot was desperate again. "Oh no! They said the next mission was in Pokte Village... So everyone already went there..."

"Yeah, and they failed." Rock said as if it was the most normal of things. "But don't worry. Tron is strong and should be okay."

"... Do you... Think so?" The robot was almost crying.

"The machine... Isn't usable anymore..." He chose to be careful with his words. "But Tron is okay, I assure you."

"Ah... Thank you!" The Servbot bowed. "Thank you for always being nice to Miss Tron!"

"Um... No problem. Anyway, I found two other Servbots a while back."

"O-other Servbots?"

"Yeah. They said they got lost too. Want me to take you to them?"

"Yes, yes, please!" The Servbot bounced happily in place.

Rock guided the Servbot to the room where he had left the others.

"Oh, you really found him." The second Servbot put away the book he was reading. "Thank you very much."

"Thank you, you saved us!" The first one said.

"Miss Tron was right. She said you're a very gentle person!" The third one spoke.

"... Tron? ... Said that?" Certainly not what he expected to hear from someone that always got blown by his weapons.

"Yes!" The third Servbot jumped.

_Weird,_ Rock thought. "... Um... Okay, I need to be going now. You three be good and take care to not get lost again, alright?"

"Roger!" The three answered in unison.

* * *

They continued the ship's tour. They entered a large hall which was filled by a pleasant aroma.

_What is this?_ Sera thought as she felt her mouth watering. Her eyes scanned the room in search of the aroma's source.

"Wait." She stopped them. She was intensely eying a coffee machine.

"Hm?" Rock looked in the direction Sera had indicated. She hadn't particularly shown interest in anything they had seen so far, now she was entranced by a simple coffee machine, out of all things? "What about...?"

"Is it... True coffee?"

He found the question strange. "Huh? Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

Geetz cleared Rock's confusion. "Back in... The place where we lived, we did not have true coffee. There was only a substance made to resemble it, which was fabricated."

"Ugh." Rock grimaced. "That doesn't sound very good." In no time, he was all enthusiastic again. "You should prove this one, then! It's great. Want some?"

The two hesitated, but in the end Sera nodded and convinced Geetz to join her. Soon the three were seated on a bench, enjoying their cups of coffee.

Sera was delighted by the substance's taste. It was much better than she had expected. The "coffee" from Elysium was very dull. She only drank it because it stimulated her internal systems. She recalled that, and her thoughts wandered off.

X:X:X:X:X

She had ordered Geetz to complete some tasks, including bringing her some coffee when he was finished. She was alone at her computers, analyzing countless reports of the Master System's performance. When she least expected, someone barged in the room through the electronic door and nearly made her jump.

"Mistress Sera!" It was a Unit. A Purifier Unit, to be more exact. He had the appearance of a Carbon in his early twenties. He usually wore a navy blue armor, but he was currently off duty and was wearing a black jacket and gray trousers. He also wore a necklace chain with a crystal pendant. His hair was spiked, rebellious, dark-red and somewhat long, going a little past his shoulders. His skin tone was not as dark as the other Units', nor as light as the Master's. He had lively green eyes, and almost always had a grin plastered on his face.

"Trigger. How many times do I have to tell you to-"

He interrupted her. "Knock, yeah. I know, I actually remembered it this time." He could probably tell that Sera wasn't convinced. "It's true! I'd knock, but well, you see. My hands are occupied." To make his point, he raised the two large cups of coffee he was holding.

Sera sighed. She hated when he decided to disturb her work. He was an excellent battler, and the best Purifier Unit. Outside of battle though, it was a different story. Despite having the appearance of an adult, he acted like a Carbon child most of the time... Well, not that she had that much experience with Carbon children to really know. The point is: he was like a child in an adult body. His presence was invasive. He was always very loud, as if his volume output were constantly locked to 100%. He was hyperactive, talked too much and was unable to sit still for long. Sera only hadn't declared him defective yet because he excelled in his job, and because the Master seemed to take comfort in his presence for whatever reason. However, she was set on reporting him whenever the first opportunity arose. "What are you doing here?" She asked, praying for his visit to be quick.

"Geetz told me you had asked for coffee. He was very busy, so I offered to help. I thought you could use the coffee earlier." He left one of the cups on the table in front of her.

Sera took her drink. When she was about to dismiss him, he pulled a chair without asking for permission and sat next to her.

"I'll join you," he said and began to empty the other cup. "... Mistress Sera."

She turned her head in his direction, almost grunting in annoyance.

"Have you ever had coffee?" He probably realized that it sounded stupid and quickly corrected. "... I mean, the real thing. Not this artificial stuff."

"No." She answered dryly.

"The Master said that true coffee is much different than this. He said he misses it... He made a very sad face when he told me that..."

Sera found it absurd. They were in the perfect world. The Master shouldn't be so sad over something as mundane as coffee.

They drank the rest of their coffee in silence. Sera put her cup away. She went back to work and did her best to ignore the First Class Purifier seated beside her. Surprisingly, Trigger managed to stay quiet for almost one minute. Of course, it didn't last long and soon he began speaking again.

"Hmm. Too much work?" He glanced at the wall of text on the computer screen.

"What do you think?" Sera was already getting irritated.

"I think you're always pushing yourself too hard." He answered as if unaware that it was a rhetorical question. Either he didn't notice her irritation, or if he noticed, he didn't care. "If I knew anything about this stuff, I'd help you."

Sera turned to face him fully. "Trigger." She called in a serious tone and glared at him threateningly.

"Yeah?"

Like always, he didn't even flinch. It unnerved her. Unlike all the other Units, he was the only one that she never succeeded to intimidate.

"I will stress this once more. The Unit categories exist for a reason. Each Unit is specialized in one area, and shouldn't interfere in the work of others. That is why you must focus only on your duties and nothing else. Do you understand?"

"Hmm." Trigger had a thoughtful expression for a bit, but he didn't consider her lecture for long. "I still think learning different things makes for good experience."

She hardened her glare. "Listen. Straying from the rules is the first step into becoming an Irregular. Always remember that."

"Ah." Understanding crossed his face. "I see. So that's what you were worrying about..."

"Yes."

But once again, he hadn't taken it the way she had wanted. To her dismay, he just shrugged and laughed it off. "Hahaha! Come on! I understand it's a really big responsibility to look over the System. But you know? Sometimes, you just worry too much!" He stood up and retrieved the empty cups. "Want more coffee?" He didn't wait for her answer. "You do, yeah I know you do!" He quickly turned to leave.

"Trigger!" She called, intent on reprimanding him again.

"Wait here. I'll be back in a flash!" And he bolted out of the room.

One minute later, he was back with two even larger cups.

"Told you I'd be fast, didn't I?" Trigger grinned as he placed Sera's cup on her table. He took his place on the chair next to her and began drinking his own coffee.

Sera didn't take her cup. She decided to leave it for later. She tried to continue her work, but couldn't get very far because Trigger began shuffling on his chair and speaking at 120% volume.

"I can't wait to try the coffee from Terra! If the Master likes it so much, it has to be great! Hahahaha! Don't you think? ... Whenever a chance comes, I'm going there. Then, I want you to come with me! And Geetz too, because he also likes coffee a lot! It'll be really really really awesome!"

Sera cursed internally. She had witnessed that a few times before. Normal Trigger was already bad enough. In "caffeinated mode," he got even more agitated and harder to deal with. Sera was starting to get an headache. She had to end that soon if she wanted to preserve her sanity. "Trigger, you are dismissed." No reaction. "Rockman Trigger!" She had to raise her voice.

"... Hmm?" He stopped shuffling and looked sideways at her.

"I said you are dismissed."

"Ah, I heard that." He waved it off as though it meant nothing.

"Then, please leave."

"Why?" He protested. "I want to stay more! I don't have anything else to do now... So I wanted to watch your work! And maybe learn something..."

Sera gave him another of her glares. "What you should learn, is that rules were made to be followed! Stop interfering in my work and leave me alone! I am already getting a headache..."

"That's because you work too much! I told you that you push yourself too hard..." He said in a scolding tone, then widened his eyes at her in concern. "Are you okay? Want me to call maintenance?"

"No. I need concentration. I need silence, and please, I need you to leave this room, **now**."

"Hmm, okay..." He finally stood up, but he still looked as if he didn't want to comply. "Then, see you later!" And the hurricane known as Rockman Trigger was finally out of the room.

Sera sighed. She decided to drink her already cold coffee, to see if it helped in reducing her headache.

X:X:X:X:X

She glanced at the coffee machine again. If Trigger were there, he undoubtedly would be amazed by the true coffee. He would drink a lot, and his caffeine levels would go well beyond the threshold. He would wreak havoc in the Sulphur-Bottom, and she would have to stop him before Bluecher decided to throw them all out of the ship. Sera blinked, and made the image disappear. Where did that outrageous thought come from? Trigger was an Irregular, and should have been terminated. She shouldn't be fantasizing about wasting time drinking coffee with him and Geetz in a Carbon's ship.

Speaking of Geetz, the Servitor was on his second cup. Sera kept staring at the coffee machine and considering getting a second cup herself.

Meanwhile, Rock had finished his first one and just waited patiently for them. He noticed Sera looking at the coffee machine and decided to help her. "Do you want more?"

In the end, Sera couldn't resist and gave a slight nod. She was glad she didn't need to ask, but on the other hand, she was a bit annoyed because that boy already proved to read her too well.

"Here." He refilled the cup and passed it back to her.

She took it, nodding gratefully. Rock gave her a bright smile, which reminded her of Trigger... Again. She quickly dismissed the thought and decided to concentrate on her coffee instead.

* * *

They finished their little tour and went back to the room assigned to Sera and Geetz.

"We thank you for your guidance." Geetz spoke for both of them.

"You're welcome." Rock smiled. "I'll be going now. You two are coming to the party tonight, right?"

"A party?" Geetz was confused.

"Yeah, didn't anyone tell you? Mister Bluecher told me that he'll give a party to mark the end of the Forbidden Island expedition. He wants to keep the part about the keys and the Mother Lode private, but he says the party is actually to celebrate that we got the first key. He invited both of you, too."

Geetz was hesitant. "Wouldn't our presence draw attention to said private matters?"

"Only if you talk about them. It's the agreement. No one should talk about those... Besides, there'll be various sorts of people coming. For everyone, we'll be just other guests. Nothing more, nothing less." Says the one that did all the hard work. "If you don't come, are you going to stay here in this room with nothing to do?"

"Well..."

Rock didn't let Geetz argue back. "Mister Bluecher said there'll be an orchestra! Have you ever seen one live?"

"... No." Geetz answered.

"Me too. I only saw orchestras on TV. I want to see it, sounds amazing!" Rock was all excited.

That enthusiasm, coupled with the way of dragging people into things, were really reminiscent of a certain Purifier Unit. Geetz involuntarily recalled an event involving the subject of orchestras, the Master and said Purifier. That made him think it should be worth their time. He looked at his mistress for approval and got a reluctant nod in response. He turned back to Rock. "Well, if we were invited..."

"Then, it's set. See you tonight!" Rock nodded to them and left the room.

Geetz closed the door.

_What did we get ourselves into?_ Geetz thought, and looking at Sera, he could tell that similar thoughts were crossing her mind.

* * *

A/n: Interacting with the "ancients," then rescuing the Servbots... Basically, everything I wanted to do while in the Sulphur-Bottom but the game didn't allow me to.

I'm pretty sure that the "ancients" could do some scanning and recognize Rock as Trigger, but for the sake of this fic, they didn't (yet) :P.

As for Trigger's appearance in this story, think older Rock Volnutt with a bit darker skin, and longer but dark-red hair (as for what an "older" Rock would look like, that's up to your imagination :P). All of this is for a reason, though.

* * *

Update (2014/08/23): like I was doing with my Pokemon fic, I began adapting scenes of this fan fiction to audio drama in Japanese. If you like Japanese audio, you might like this (or not :P). I did the part about the Juno nightmare. It can be found here:

goo dot gl / i29AD1

Requests of new scenes to make are welcome. Something about the "ancients" and Rock... Or Trigger (how about some coffee? :P)... Or maybe the Servbots?


	2. The Orchestra

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 2: The Orchestra

"Rock, what took you so long?" Roll asked when Rock came back to the Flutter.

"Sorry. I decided to talk to those ancients and show them around the ship."

"Hmmm, I see." Roll grinned. "RPG protagonist complex again, huh?"

"Hey. Please, don't say that." He made a face and looked offended.

Roll giggled. "Okay, okay." She went back to the subject. "What kind of people are they?"

"Well, the man's name is Geetz and the girl is called Sera. They act very serious most of the time, but I think that's normal. I mean, they were trapped on that island for who knows how long, then woke up to this world were they don't have anything or anyone... It might take a long time until they get used to this place and warm up to us. "

At first sight, Roll had the impression that they were indeed too serious, maybe a bit dangerous... But after Rock's reasoning, she thought that maybe they weren't that bad.

Rock continued. "I still don't know much about them, but I noticed that Geetz really likes technological stuff. He got very impressed while I was showing them around the ship. Sera, well... She doesn't talk much. I saw that she loved the coffee, though!"

Roll giggled.

"Recovery complete!" A voice came from the speakers and interrupted them. "Engines are stable, initiating countdown! Takeoff in thirty... Twenty nine... Twenty eight..."

"Oh! Isn't it incredible?" Roll changed the subject. "They already managed to fix the Sulphur-Bottom's engines!"

In around twenty seconds, they were in the air. Bluecher had ordered them to get out of their crash position near Forbidden Island, and land somewhere more accessible. The party would be held on the ship, and the guests would be able to reach it easily.

* * *

It was nightfall. A guard came bringing the clothes for them to wear at the party. Rock came out of the men's bathroom, while Roll came out of the women's.

Rock was wearing a navy blue suit, and had used some gel to keep his hair more under control. That was what he usually did when he had to go meet with important people. "Roll, you're lucky to have gotten something so simple and nice."

Roll wore a simple pink dress and had removed her hat. "Wow. Rock, you look too formal!"

"Yeah, I saw myself in the mirror. I'm looking too serious! This way, people will have a reason to call me 'Mister Rock,' and I won't have one to blame them..."

She knew he didn't like to be called that. "You really have a problem with that, don't you?"

"I'm too young for that! And even if I wasn't, I can't imagine myself with status of any kind."

"It isn't status, Rock. It's only respect. That's normal."

"Feels a bit heavy for me."

"You put your life in danger almost every day. Now, you were asked to find the keys to the biggest treasure in History, and yet you enter and navigate those ruins like it was nothing! Isn't that heavy for you?" No answer. "I mean, come on. Just accept that and be done with it."

"Okay, okay..." He waved resignedly and changed the subject. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'll stay with Gramps for a bit. So much happened after we arrived, and I still couldn't talk to him much."

"Alright. I'll take a walk around."

"Okay, see you later."

* * *

The "ancients" were also given clothes for the party. Geetz was given a gray business suit, while Sera got a light pink dress with ribbons that made her look even more like a little child. Walking slowly through the ship's corridors, they met Rock.

"Hey!" The boy waved to them.

It took a few seconds for Geetz to realize it was him. "Oh. Mister Rock? I nearly failed to recognize you..."

"Hahaha." Rock laughed at Geetz's unusual choice of words. "I looked in the mirror and almost didn't recognize myself, so I can't blame you, I guess."

"This is embarrassing." Sera touched the big ribbons on her dress. She was talking just to herself, but Rock heard her.

"Yeah, you're not alone. This thing makes me look too serious. I like the color, though."

Sera focused away from her dress to take a good look at him. His suit was navy blue, just like the armor of that Purifier Unit who was invading her thoughts so much that day.

They went to the room where Bluecher would open the party. Since it was too crowded and Bluecher was ready to start his speech, Rock didn't have time to locate Roll and stayed where he was. They sat down, Sera in the middle, with Geetz at her right and Rock at her left. Half of a minute later, Bluecher began speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for assembling here today. The long awaited expedition to Forbidden Island has come to an end. Even though we were faced with various difficulties, we were able to explore the island." He said though they weren't, Rock being the one that did all the hard work. But that was the agreement. No "details." "The bad news is that, unfortunately, the Mother Lode was not there. On the other hand, the good news is that, once again, we survived!"

people began murmuring.

"If the Mother Lode wasn't there, then what did you find?" A reporter voiced the question nagging the majority there present.

"Only Reaverbots. Oddly, after defeating a big and powerful Reaverbot at the center, the storm stopped as if it had never happened. With that, now ships can enter there normally. You can investigate it for yourselves, although I don't think there is much to find, as the island is currently empty. It is as if everything about that island was just a dream. Things suddenly went back to normal... The calm after the storm, I suppose." Bluecher joked.

Another reporter raised a hand. "We heard rumors that the Diggers who had disappeared were brought back. Is that true?"

"Yes. When the Reaverbot was destroyed, they were freed."

_The people that disappeared... Came back? Then maybe..._ That new bit of information brought some hope to Roll. There was a chance that her parents were among the Diggers that came back.

"Are you saying that the Reaverbots were keeping them captive? If so, for what purpose?" Another reporter asked.

"We do not know as of yet." Bluecher admitted.

"Really not any hint to the Mother Lode?" Another reporter insisted.

"There are a few other mysteries we are currently trying to solve. Maybe they mean something, maybe not. We still cannot say anything about those at the moment, so as not to jump to conclusions ahead of time." He snapped his fingers. "For now, let's celebrate the closure of our expedition, as well as the survival of all Diggers who ventured there, including ourselves! May the party begin! We wish you all an enjoyable stay! Now, please welcome the Manda Orchestra, from Pokte Village in Manda Island!"

Bluecher and the reporters stepped away to give room to the orchestra. It was a small group of around 20 members. People were chattering while the players assumed their positions.

"Did you know?" A woman spoke, a few rows of seats behind Rock. "Pokte Village was attacked by pirates recently. Part of the money that Mister Bluecher paid the orchestra will be used to restore the village!"

"Wow..." Came the response of the woman beside her.

The players got to their positions and the crowd silenced. A few moments later, the room was filled with the sound of the first movement of "Spring" from "The Four Seasons."

_This song..._ Sera's thoughts began wandering off again. _Master..._

X:X:X:X:X

She and Geetz came to the Master's building. The Servitor rang the doorbell. Bouncy footsteps echoed from inside, an indication that the Master wasn't the one coming to welcome them. The door was opened to reveal Trigger in casual clothes.

"Oh, it's you!" The Purifier spoke with a smile.

"We have brought the files the Master requested. Could you please deliver this to him?" Geetz handed out a small disk.

Trigger didn't take it. "Why don't you come in? You arrived at a good time! The Master said he wanted to show something interesting!" He turned around to face the man coming from behind. "Right, Master?"

"Good afternoon, Master. We brought you the files you requested." Geetz handed out the disk again.

"Good afternoon, Geetz, Sera." The Master took the disk. "Thank you. I will take a look at this later. While organizing my things, I found some old recordings that I was unaware I still had. We were about to check them out. Why don't you join us?"

Geetz looked at Sera, awaiting her decision.

"If you so wish..." She addressed the Master.

"Please come in." He guided them inside.

They followed. When they arrived at the living room, they were greeted by a huge mess of paper and boxes strewn on the ground.

"I am sorry." The Master apologized. "It is **a bit** messy, but please do not mind it."

Geetz had his mouth hanging open for a while, until he caught himself and quickly corrected his posture.

"There is no need to apologize, Master," Sera said, perfectly sure that 99% of that mess wasn't the Master's doing.

"Hmm... Well... Please sit down." He indicated the sofa.

They did as asked. The Master inserted a DVD into a drive in his computer, then turned on a big monitor which would play the role of a TV.

"What is it? What is it...?" Trigger tapped a foot on the ground impatiently, earning a grunt of annoyance from Sera.

The Master pressed the play button. "I hope the files are still intact..." He held his breath while the word "Loading" was displayed on the screen.

"Oh!" Trigger exclaimed when the message went away and the image changed.

"Yes! Hahaha!" The Master almost jumped in joy when the movie started playing.

Sera was curious as to what had caused that reaction, since it was rare to see the Master so excited. She turned her full attention to the monitor. The movie showed a large hall. On the stage at the center, there was a medium group of teenagers in a circular formation, armed with various wooden instruments. At the back, there were rows of seats from where many others watched. That room was unfamiliar to her. It wasn't anywhere in Elysium. Also, those people... Who were they? They didn't look like the Units from Elysium. Were they Carbons? No. There was something different about them.

"Oh my! I still can't believe it!" The Master spoke gleefully.

"This... Is...?" Sera asked.

"It is a recording of my group's final presentation at school, back on Terra before the Reaverbots destroyed everything." He answered.

Sera and Geetz were shocked.

"This means..." Geetz found his speech first.

Sera completed. "Those are humans... We are seeing the true human race..."

"Yes." The Master confirmed and left them speechless again, except for one.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Trigger jumped on his seat. "What are they doing?"

"This is an orchestra." The Master explained. "Everyone is strategically positioned in order to get the best sound quality. Each of its members plays a musical instrument, and an important part in achieving the final, full sound. It is as if each of the members were a piece of a big puzzle."

"Hmm..." Trigger had his eyes wide. "So, those wooden things make sound?"

"Yes."

"You were the leader, right?" The Purifier kept asking.

"No, I was not."

"What!?" Trigger shouted. "How can that be? I can't imagine you not being the leader!"

The Master chuckled. "I was not chosen. There were others better suited to the job."

"No, this isn't right!" Trigger whined as if the Master had been a victim of injustice.

The Master simply smiled and patted Trigger on the head as if he were a little child.

"Now, we listen to group B, with the first movement of 'Spring' from 'The Four Seasons,' composed by Antonio Vivaldi!" The announcer in the movie said.

"Master, who's Antonio Vivaldi?" Trigger asked.

"A composer from 16XX. The music is from 17XX."

"17XX! Such a long time ago...!" Trigger almost shouted. When the music began, he was surprised by the "velvet" like sound coming from the strings. "Wow! This is the sound those things make? Ahahaha! I thought they'd sound more like... Um, tapping on wood, you know? ... Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahaha!" He started laughing like crazy.

Sera couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to listen to the true humans' work of art, but that annoying Purifier refused to stop making noise. "Trigger, could you please stay in silence? I would like to listen to the recording." She said in a rare display of will. She usually didn't openly express her wishes, unless they were related to work.

"Ah... Okay," he said and shut his mouth, but as always his silence didn't last long. He stared at the monitor in concentration for a moment, then suddenly shouted. "Found him! Look! It's the Master!" He pointed at a blonde teen playing the violin, a bit obscured by other players.

"That's correct." The man smiled. "You have good observation skills, Trigger."

Sera would grunt in irritation, but the Master's input made her look at the person Trigger had pointed at. He was younger and had much shorter hair, but it was undeniable. That boy was indeed the Master. Throughout the remainder of the music, the Units were focused on the young Master, while the Master from the present had his eyes closed, lost in his memories.

* * *

After the recording ended, they were still in awe. That was the true humans' potential.

"It was awesome!" Trigger said. "Now I want to see one of those live! ... Master, do you think the Carbons have orchestras too?"

"Hmm, I never checked that, though I think they might."

"Then please check it. If they do, I want to go there!"

"Maybe one day, who knows..." The Master had a smile and a distant look. "However, while watching the performance, there is an important rule that must be followed, which might be a bit hard for you."

"What's it?" Trigger gave a curious look.

The Master grinned playfully. "You must stay quiet."

"Oh... Ah..." Trigger looked a bit embarrassed.

"Perhaps you should make the habit of... 'Practicing' sometimes." The Master's tone was still playful.

"Um... Okay, I'll try. Anything to watch an awesome show like that!"

"Oh, will you? I wish I could be there to see that."

"That'd be nice, if you could stand being on Terra..." Trigger's expression quickly changed from excited to sad, then back to excited again. "Ah, then, when I go there, can I take Mistress Sera and Geetz?"

Before the Master could answer, Sera did. "There is no point."

"Huh? Why?" Trigger turned to her.

"There is a great depth of emotion and skill involved, which are exclusive to the true humans. The Carbons are just mere artificial fabrications, and will never be able to match that kind of performance."

"Hmm... But what if they do?" The Purifier insisted. "Then it's more reason to see it! Right?"

Sera sighed and gave up on arguing back. Like always, talking to him was useless. Whatever she said, he would just counter with more nonsense. It wasn't worth her energy.

X:X:X:X:X

Sera opened her eyes suddenly, back from her thoughts. Why was that Purifier invading her head so much? She had thought of him countless times that day. She decided to focus on the performance ahead. A lively performance. Sera was impressed. She had thought only the true humans would be capable of playing on that emotional level, but apparently, she was wrong. Inadvertently, an image appeared in her head, depicting what would be like if Trigger had taken her and Geetz to see a Carbon's orchestra... _No, not again! Get out of my head already, Trigger!_ She thought as she blinked to erase the image. Then she looked to her right, where Geetz also seemed to be lost in thought.

Meanwhile, to Sera's left, was Rock. He was quiet, except for his eyes that frantically scanned the orchestra in search of someone that wasn't there. _Huh? What am I doing?_ He thought and stopped his search. He didn't know anyone from that orchestra, so who could he be searching for? That made no sense. He laughed internally at his own stupidity and focused back on the performance.

* * *

The performance ended. Everyone dispersed and began talking to each other about various subjects. Bluecher called Barrell and Roll to talk, so they also left.

Rock couldn't describe what he was feeling. The show was great, but he felt that something was missing... Or maybe someone. He was sure he knew a person that would really love to have seen it, but he couldn't remember who, or where from. He searched his memory for conversations with people he had met on the many islands he visited, trying to recall anything they could have said about orchestras, but nothing came up. Rock gave up and turned to his right. There, Sera was seated, with an expression so peaceful that he considered whether he should talk to her or not. However, as if sensing his gaze on her, she turned her head abruptly in his direction, startled.

Sera had been nearly hypnotized by the soothing sound of the strings. She kept thinking about the Master, how he would have liked to see such a performance. Maybe he would smile, or get very excited like when he found out his recordings were still playable... But of course, he was rarely alone. Where the Master was, there was Trigger. Sera began imagining what would be like to have the two watching that show.

"Wow! So this is what's like to see an orchestra live!" Trigger would shout at 130% volume and cause the nearby Carbons to direct strange looks at their group.

"Ssshhh..." The Master would shush him, then scold him in a low voice. "Remember what I told you? What was the rule, again?"

"Oh... Yeah, right. Hahaha, sorry!" The Purifier would smile sheepishly and apologize as loud as before, without making any effort to lower his volume output. That would leave Sera irritated and...

"Ah!" Sera gasped. She came back to reality, only then noticing that the performance was over. She had turned her head to the left, and nearly jumped when she opened her eyes. For a moment, she thought she had seen Trigger, but the illusion quickly faded away and she was facing Rock. Yes, Rock. He stayed so quiet the whole time that she had forgotten he was even there. "I-it's over..." She said, trying to recompose herself.

"Hm." Rock nodded. "Most people already left. And they're leaving, too." He pointed at the orchestra members. "I think we should go talk to them."

"... For what?" She didn't see a point.

"To let them know we liked what they did. Don't you like when people tell you they appreciate what you do?"

Probably. Only, she wasn't used to receiving compliments. She always did her work exactly as instructed. Everything she did was what was expected of her, nothing special enough to deserve a compliment. Well, Trigger complimented her sometimes, but that didn't count, since he said so much nonsense. Aside from him, no one else. Sera worked very hard thinking on pleasing the Master, and she had to admit that she would have liked to be praised by him.

"Let's go." Rock stood up and inadvertently grabbed her by the hand, startling her.

She stood up reluctantly and threw a desperate look towards Geetz. However, her Servitor was distracted talking to someone and didn't notice her. Frustrated and without much choice, she decided to let herself be pulled.

"Hi, good evening." Rock began. "The show was great. It was touching!"

The conductor smiled. "Glad to know that it could appeal to young people like you. Most teenagers nowadays don't have much interest in this kind of music," he said even though the other orchestra members were also young people.

"It was impressive." The compliment left Sera's mouth and surprised even herself.

"Thank you." The man had thought that Sera was a little child, and was taken aback by her choice of words.

"Wait," one of the members pointed at Rock. "You're the boy that fought the pirates!"

"Err, yeah." Rock wasn't expecting to be recognized. "S-sorry that I couldn't prevent all that damage." Tron's shots had flown all over the place, not to mention that her attempts to fake Roll's voice were an annoying distraction at first.

"What are you saying!?" It was the same person. "You were very brave to fight them alone. You saved the village! Thank you very much!" He bowed, and many other members followed suit. That left Rock embarrassed.

* * *

The three Servbots that Rock had helped earlier were hiding in a corner.

"That was really amazing!" The first one commented.

"Yes," the third one said. "too bad Miss Tron and Master Teisel weren't here to see it..."

"Hmm." The second one made an affirmative sound, with his head buried in a book.

"Hey, I have an idea!" The first one spoke again. "Let's make a Servbot orchestra! Then we can play to them inside the future New Gesellschaft!"

"Nice idea!" The third one agreed. "Miss Tron will be very proud of us! And Master Teisel likes this kind of music. I saw he has CDs with music by someone named J. S. Bach..."

The studious Servbot spoke. "I read that listening to classical music helps children to develop better. It'll be good for Master Bon too!"

"Yes! Then let's make a plan!" The third one said, then they began to discuss their plan.

* * *

"Great show. It's impressive how art from so long ago was able to survive until today, isn't it?" A man spoke to Geetz.

"... Yes." The Servitor answered, still lost in thought.

The man spoke more, while Geetz just half-listened, agreeing with a few things.

"Please excuse me." Geetz stood up and began walking away. He intended to stay alone for a bit and organize his thoughts. He saw Sera with Rock near the orchestra members. Usually, he would put his mistress first like his duty dictated, but this time, for some reason he considered Sera to be safe enough in Rock's presence and simply let them be. Geetz was also taken aback by the Carbons' performance, still lost in thought after recalling the same event that Sera had. Although it seemed pointless at the time, watching a Carbon's orchestra proved to be quite entertaining. They could have come to see it (or a similar one) under different circumstances. Himself, Sera, Trigger, and maybe the Master if they found a way to make him adapt to Terra's environment. But that wasn't what happened. _Why did it have to come to this?_

X:X:X:X:X

"This is Mistress Sera, the Mother Unit in charge of Elysium's branch of the System. And this is Geetz, her Servitor Unit." The Master introduced them to the newest First Class Purifier. "Your rank is right between those two."

"Hi!" The Purifier smiled at them. He was in his navy blue armor. He still didn't wear the crystal pendant at the time.

"State your mission." Sera commanded.

"My mission is to serve the Master." He was acting serious, speaking in an automatic fashion as if reciting something from a book. "To use my skill in favor of the System, and to eliminate any threats to it. Oh, and..." He paused, looking like he had forgotten the "script." "... Ah! And if Reaverbots from the Elder System decide to come out, I'll go to Terra and eliminate them too! ... And..." He looked unsure, noticing that Sera still waited for him to say something. "Uh... Um...?"

"Your designation." She pressed.

"Ah, right!" He grinned and his serious mask cracked completely. "I'm First Class Purifier Unit Rockman Trigger. Nice to meet you!" He gave a slight bow, accompanied by a smile. "... Well, that's a bit too long, so you can just call me 'Trigger!'"

"Of course," Sera said. They wouldn't keep calling him by his full designation the whole time.

"Welcome to Elysium's ranks, Master Trigger." Geetz spoke.

"Hm? Thanks." It looked like he was displeased with something.

"Now I need to discuss a few things with Sera." The Master turned to the Servitor. "Geetz, could you please show Trigger around?"

"Yes, as you wish." Geetz answered and bowed respectfully.

"Trigger, do you mind?" The Master asked.

"No problem. See you later, then!" Trigger made a goodbye gesture towards the two before approaching Geetz. "Let's go!"

They walked a bit.

"Master Trigger..." Geetz began, but the Purifier cut him off.

"Hey, I told you to just call me 'Trigger!'"

"I am following protocol." The Servitor justified himself. "It states that I should refer to you as such, as I am one position below you in the hierarchy."

"But it's weird!" The Purifier protested. "Think about it. You can't call me 'Master,' because there's also the Master. And the Master is... The Master, you know! It'll only get confusing!"

"I apologize. Rules are rules." Geetz said firmly, without even thinking.

Trigger wasn't satisfied, but didn't insist.

They continued their tour of Elysium, with Trigger acting all friendly and cheerful towards the other Units. He didn't seem to have authority over them at all.

* * *

Geetz hadn't liked Trigger much, and soon discovered that Sera shared the same feeling. That couldn't be said for the Master, though. Trigger constantly followed the man around, but instead of considering him a nuisance, the Master even seemed happy to have the Purifier in his presence. Geetz couldn't understand why.

It wasn't long until Sera noticed unusual behavior from the Purifier and began reprimanding him.

"Remember." She spoke in an authoritative tone. "The Master is the only true human remaining. We were created solely to serve him. Our existence carries no other purpose." She paused. "We must do everything in our power to ensure the Master's safety and well-being."

Normally, when other Units received a lecture from her, they apologized and promised that the incident wouldn't be repeated. However, instead of doing that, Trigger dared argue back. "But that's what I was trying to do! The Master said..."

Sera interrupted him. "Humans were known to be unstable, and to say strange things sometimes. Being a human, the Master is also susceptible to such instability. Whenever he displays unusual behavior, just ignore him." She signaled with her hand, indicating the end of the meeting. "You are dismissed."

Trigger walked away, murmuring something like, "But he wasn't acting strange..."

Geetz approached his mistress when they were alone in the room. Despite not usually showing his impressions of his superiors, this time he made his displeasure known. "I do not understand. Why does the Master allow someone like that to be constantly in his presence?"

Sera hesitated. "The Master is the last one of his kind. He probably feels... Lonely. He is displaying more unusual behavior as time progresses. We must take care to ensure his mental health is preserved. That is why we must work hard to serve him as best as possible."

* * *

There was an Irregular hunting mission shortly after. Geetz and Sera had thought that the new Purifier wouldn't last long, but to their surprise, he proved to be quite skilled in battle.

The following day, Sera was working at her computers, analyzing the reports from that mission. Light from the artificial sun entered through the window, reflecting right on the screen in front of her. When asked about it, she said it wasn't important, but it seemed to affect her concentration somewhat, and that bothered Geetz. Since his presence wasn't required at the moment, the Servitor let her be, since she preferred to work alone. He was walking aimlessly when he heard Trigger's voice.

"Hey, Geetz!" The Purifier approached. "Huh, what's wrong? You look worried."

"It is nothing of importance." Geetz quickened his pace, not in the mood to put up with that Purifier's nonsense.

"Of course it is, or you wouldn't be this distressed!" Trigger insisted and began walking faster to catch up. "What happened? ... Does it have anything to do with Mistress Sera?"

"...!" That was spot on. It even made Geetz stop walking.

"You're very dedicated to her. If something happens to her, it worries you." Trigger answered the unspoken "how did you know?" question. "Am I right?"

"... Yes." Geetz had to admit that Trigger was smart.

"What happened?" Trigger went back to the question at hand.

"... She says it is unimportant."

"But it's worrying you. So...?" Trigger waited for an answer, but none came. "Alright, if you don't want to tell me, then you could tell it to someone else..." He clasped his hands. "Yeah! That's it! Why don't you talk to the Master about it?"

"What!?" Geetz found it absurd. No Unit dared to talk to the Master about things outside of their assigned tasks. "No, I cannot do that."

"Why not?"

"The Master must not be bothered with such insignificant matters!"

"Oh, come on." Trigger shrugged. "He'll be happy to see that you want his advice. Let's go!"

"Ah! Master Trigger!" Geetz was dragged to the direction of the Master's house.

Trigger rang the doorbell, while Geetz was already preparing to excuse himself, sure that it wasn't a good idea.

"Hi Master!" Trigger greeted when the man opened the door for them.

"Oh, hello." The Master welcomed them both with a smile.

Trigger went straight to the point. "Master, Geetz is having a problem and needs some advice. I thought you could help."

"Of course. What is the problem?" The Master turned to Geetz.

"I-it is nothing of much importance..." Geetz faltered.

"It must be important, since it is bothering you." Was the Master's answer.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Trigger grinned.

"Well..." Geetz explained the problem.

"Hmm." The Master was thoughtful. "Can I go there and take a look?" The Master offered.

Geetz did a double take. "I am sorry for wasting your time with such an insignificant matter. Huh...? Wait, do you mean... Would you, really...?"

"Yes, of course."

When they arrived there, Sera had already left.

"Ah, I see." The Master took in the situation. "Since when did you notice that her concentration was being affected?"

"Since the last time the room's layout changed. Or, to be more precise, three years, two months, twenty five days, and..."

The Master cut him off. "You could have raised this question sooner."

"A-apologies. Mistress Sera stated it was not important enough to require intervention."

"Well, let's see..." The Master considered what to do. "We can install a curtain on this window. I will ask the worker Units to take the necessary measures."

"Thank you very much." Geetz bowed.

"See?" Trigger had a triumphant grin. "Told you that the Master could help!"

When Sera arrived the next day, she quickly noticed the difference. "A curtain?"

"Yes. It was the Master's decision." Geetz quickly said in his defense.

"... The... Master's?" Instead of a reprimand like Geetz expected, Sera got really surprised and was almost speechless.

"Yes."

Sera began her work, still surprised. Geetz observed for a while. Satisfied with the result, he left. Trigger and the Master awaited him outside.

"How did it go?" The Master asked.

"She seems to be doing better indeed. I give you my most sincere thanks, Master."

"It was no problem."

"Glad that it was sorted out!" Trigger said.

"Sera deserves it," The Master added. "She works so hard... I just think she could care more about her own comfort sometimes." He changed the subject. "By the way, if you find any other problem, please tell me. I will do whatever I can. You all do so much for me, it is only fair for me to help you back."

Even after that, Geetz avoided bothering the Master about small problems. However, whenever Trigger found out that something was wrong, there was no escape.

* * *

Time passed. There were more missions. Trigger always invited the other Units (including Yuna and Gatts when they were present) to celebrate their successes. Everyone was reluctant at first, but they loosened up little by little. In those meetings, Geetz noticed many traits that made each one of them unique individuals, as opposed to the mere servants they were believed to be. Those were quite enjoyable moments, and made Geetz feel a little guilty. From his understanding, the Master was the only one who could have those luxuries, while they were there just to serve him. There was nothing in the rules concerning the Units' well-being, so he concluded that they didn't have that right. Yet, the Master was present in those meetings, but instead of disapproving of them, he seemed amused to see the Units having fun and talking more to each other. Sera refused to join them. She always said that she had more important matters to attend to (which she probably did), so she was never present. Sometimes, Geetz wondered if his mistress also had unrevealed traits like the others.

And there was Trigger. That Purifier was a strange one. No matter how many times he was reprimanded by Sera, he didn't change his ways. He acted like the stereotypical rebellious Carbon teenager. From refusing to wear his helmet during missions, to arguing with Sera, his behavior was anything but normal. However, he had different views on many subjects and raised questions that no other Unit had ever thought of. Geetz had to admit that the Purifier was good company, although he had never talked about that to Sera, since he knew she still had a strong dislike for Trigger. It got to the point that she was losing her temper with Trigger more often than not. That made Geetz fear that she would label the Purifier as an Irregular. The Servitor even covered for him a few times when Trigger failed to follow orders.

* * *

Years passed. Either during missions or due to becoming Irregulars, most Bureaucratics and Purifier Units had been destroyed. There was only one of each remaining. Respectively, Juno who was on Terra, in charge of an island called Kattelox, and Trigger who was (or rather, should have been) on Elysium. Construction of new Units was about to start, however there was no time, because the worst happened: Geetz's fears had come true. The only Purifier Unit remaining, Rockman Trigger, had been declared an irregular.

"What? You let him escape!?" Sera raised her voice and glared threateningly at all assembled lesser Units.

The Units looked uneasily at each other, then one of then spoke. "... We apologize. There was nothing we could have done."

Another one risked speaking. "He is a first class Purifier! We would not have any chance!"

"You..." Sera's glare intensified. It seemed like fire would come out of her red eyes. "He kidnapped the Master! That is an atrocious crime. And you are accomplices to that!" She suddenly activated her battle armor and made everyone step back in fear. "In the name of the Master and the System, I hereby declare all of you as Irregulars, and shall terminate you right now!"

"Mistress Sera!" Geetz gasped in horror. He had never seen his mistress that furious.

"Geetz!" She directed her glare at him.

"... Yes." He flinched, something that didn't happen often.

"Head to Terra and go after him. I will deal with these Irregulars personally."

"Yes, Mistress Sera." He quickly headed out of the room, set to do as ordered. He had a pang on his heart thinking of what would become of the remaining Units, but had to put the thought away. His mission was first priority.

Thus, Elysium effectively became devoid of life, subject to the Mother Unit's fury...

* * *

In his combat form, Geetz intercepted the shuttle occupied by Trigger and the Master. He pursued them for a while until Trigger realized they couldn't escape, partly because he was fully aware his piloting skills weren't that great. He landed the shuttle on top of a mountain, came out, and began to fight back.

"Why?" Geetz asked. "Why are you doing this? Why did you kidnap the Master!?"

He didn't recall what the answer was. He only remembered that it made no sense. They continued fighting, with Geetz constantly getting distracted by the memories of their enjoyable moments on Elysium. "Master Trigger. Don't you realize the stupidity of your actions? Open your eyes!"

They traded some more blows, and Geetz began to realize he, too, didn't have a chance against a First Class... No, the only First Class Purifier remaining, and **the strongest of them**.

"Master Trigger..." Geetz spoke with difficulty. "Mistress Sera declared all Units on Elysium as Irregulars... Because they allowed your escape."

"What?" Trigger was taken aback.

"She said she would terminate all of them... And she will wish to terminate you as well. As her Servitor Unit, my duty dictates that I should assist her! ... However... I... I am probably not allowed to say this but... I do not wish to see you terminated!"

"Geetz..."

"There is still time. Please, take the Master back to Elysium! I do not wish to fight you..." Geetz pleaded, even though Sera was unlikely to forgive Trigger even if the Master were brought back.

Trigger smiled. "I also don't want to fight you. That's why..." His face became serious all of a sudden. "I'm sorry!"

Trigger let a well-placed Buster shot that landed a critical hit and sent Geetz plummeting down the mountain.

* * *

"Geetz."

"M-Mistress..." Geetz woke up in his humanoid form, very damaged and without enough energy to assume his combat form.

"The worst has happened." Sera said in a grave tone. "The Master... The Master is dead. I knew Trigger would become an Irregular sooner or later..."

Geetz was shocked. All his efforts meant nothing. It was too late.

"Do you know what that means?" She didn't wait for an answer. "The last human is dead. It is time to run the Carbon Reinitialization Program. However, we need the Master's genetic code to restore the original humans. Trigger must have information on it or, if we are lucky, he may have the code itself."

"A-apologies, Mistress... I am still not in c-condition to fight." He was having problems to even speak, much less fight.

"Well. Then stay here recovering. I will deal with him myself." Sera simply turned her back and left her battered Servitor Unit on the ground.

Geetz couldn't stay attentive for long, because his consciousness soon blacked out.

* * *

The next time Geetz woke up, he still wasn't fully recovered, but he felt much better. Though he had no idea of how much time had passed, he decided to head in the direction Sera had gone. There was lots of destruction in his way. He walked until he saw... "Mistress Sera!"

He hurried to his mistress' side. She was unconscious. Her battle armor was broken to pieces and her shell had sustained serious damage, but she would recover with time. Geetz sighed in relief. More at ease, he decided to take a better look at his surroundings. That was when an high-pitched shrill got his attention.

"What... Was that?" He inspected the scenery more closely and found something he hadn't expected: a baby was curled into a ball some distance away, shivering with the cold due to not wearing anything. "A... Carbon?" What was a Carbon baby doing there, out of all places?

Geetz approached and gasped. Next to the baby was the container he knew housed the Master's genetic code, along with the chain necklace that Trigger always wore, except it was broken and the crystal pendant was missing.

Geetz examined the genetic code container. "It is empty..."

Drawn by his voice, the baby uncurled, looking at him curiously. Geetz's red eyes met the baby's green ones. Suddenly he had a pang on his heart and the feeling that he knew who exactly that baby was. "This... Cannot be..."

Incredulous, Geetz used his Reaverbot eye to scan the boy. It was hard to identify anything, and he only did by sheer insistence. That boy wasn't a Carbon, but a Unit, made on Elysium. More specifically, a Unit based on the Rockman technology. There was no configuration and his memory was blank, an indication that he had just been reset, probably because there wasn't enough material for his original body to regenerate. His programs had been altered a lot, mainly due to the Master's DNA patterns mixed in, which also altered how his body looked. Except for his green eyes (and of course his size), his appearance was all wrong. His hair was brown instead of dark-red, and his skin got a light tone similar to the Master's. However, there was no doubt. That baby could only be one person.

"M-Master Trigger?" Geetz spoke, still incredulous. "Why did you do this? Why did you go so far? You even absorbed the Master's genetic code! Why did you..." Geetz trailed off as the baby smiled. Accusing that little boy of killing the Master just didn't feel right. "No..." Geetz shook his head. Talking was futile since his questions wouldn't be answered. Geetz's mission was to assist in terminating the Irregulars. Trigger was there right in front of him, in a fragile body, with no memories and no configuration, completely vulnerable. Terminating him should be a really simple task, yet Geetz couldn't bring himself to do it. "No, I cannot... I cannot do this..." The Servitor whispered as his resolve broke completely.

Then, a robotic monkey came running dragging a piece of cloth gotten from who knows where. It draped the cloth around the baby's body and earned a grateful cooing.

Soon after that, came Gatts. "Geetz, please stay away from Master Trigger!"

So, Gatts - and probably Yuna - already knew of that baby's true identity. Geetz decided to unleash his power on Gatts instead. They fought. And as Geetz still wasn't in good shape, coupled with the distracting turmoil in his mind, it is easy to guess who had won...

X:X:X:X:X

Geetz sighed, like he did every time he recalled that event. Sera had declared all those Units Irregulars and terminated them herself, knowing that they had let Trigger escape. She probably thought the Purifier was dead. What would she do to him if she found out that he had done that, too? What if she discovered that he had thrown away the perfect opportunity for eliminating Trigger?

He was distracted, walking aimlessly through the rooms in the Sulphur-Bottom. Without warning, a small brown and yellow blur zoomed past him and caught his attention. Geetz was alert immediately. Was he imagining things? He quickened the pace towards the direction the blur had gone. Sure enough, there it was! On closer inspection, he saw a little robotic monkey jumping around with a plate full of sweets. It was exactly like the robotic monkey he had seen with Trigger! Was it coincidence? Geetz followed the monkey from a distance until it stopped near a table where a blonde girl was seated.

"Thanks, Data." The girl took the plate from the little robot's hands. "Next time you carry something, please can you do it without jumping around? Look at this!" She pointed at the various fragments of sweets on the ground, disapproval evident on her face. "Mister Bluecher will get angry at us..."

Data began gesturing and making noises, but when he saw the "Ancient" approaching, he quickly scurried off to another room, although not before retrieving all the fallen sweets in his way and stuffing them into his mouth.

"Oh, hi!" The girl also noticed him and waved.

"Ah... Hello. Good evening." Geetz hadn't been expecting to be addressed, but since he was, that was his opportunity to ask about that monkey. He walked to the table the girl was seated at, and was offered to sit on the chair across from her.

"My name is Roll. Roll Caskett. Nice to meet you." The girl introduced herself.

"Caskett? So you are the granddaughter Professor Barrell spoke so highly of."

"Haha, did he?" She was embarrassed by his polite words. "Um, you are one of those... People from the past, right?"

"Correct. My name is Geetz. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He bowed slightly.

"Um..." Roll didn't know what to say before his politeness.

"Excuse me. Was that monkey robot... Yours?"

"Ah, Data?" She spoke and recomposed herself. "Yeah, he's with us."

Geetz considered how he should pose his question. "This is a bit sudden and may sound odd... But do you know anyone by the name 'Trigger?'"

"Huh? Trigger? ... No, sorry. Never heard of anyone with that name."

"Oh." He seemed disappointed.

"But why are you asking me this?" As expected, she found it strange.

"I apologize for such a sudden question. I simply asked this because last time I met him, he was with a monkey robot similar to that one."

"Similar to Data?"

"Yes. That is why I thought... That perhaps..."

"Oh. I understand." She looked at him sympathetically. By the man's disappointed look, that "Trigger" must have been an important person to him. "Was he one of the past people too?"

"Yes."

Her eyes widened. "Do you mean there might be more people from the past around besides you two?"

"I believe so."

"Wow..." Roll was intrigued. "Um... This 'Trigger...' What kind of person was he?"

"Well..." Before Geetz even realized it, he was already talking. "He was part of the same... Organization as us. His rank was just below Mistress Sera and above me."

"Oh, so he was an authority, then?"

"Yes. He was a talented fighter, and the best when it came to his job, which was basically... Stopping Reaverbot outbreaks."

"Hmm." Roll listened attentively.

"Outside of his duties however, he was also... One of a kind."

"Huh?" Roll raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"He was... Cheerful, rather talkative, and easily got along with most. Very different from the other authorities."

"Hmm! Sounds like a very nice person!" She smiled.

"... Yes." Geetz had a distant look. "Before we got imprisoned on that island, there was a ferocious battle, which left him in deplorable conditions... The last time I saw him, he was being tended to by the monkey robot, and was nearly unrecognizable..." He recalled Trigger's baby form.

"Ahh!" Roll imagined the person's condition and covered her mouth in horror, unaware that it wasn't exactly what Geetz had meant.

"I have reasons to think he is still alive, although he would need a serious amount of time to recover, probably years..." He trailed off when he saw Roll's horrified expression being replaced with a bright smile. "Hm?"

"Don't worry. You'll find him, I'm sure. From what you said, it sounded like you really care about him, and that he's a very good person. I'm sure he'd give his best to recover from whatever condition he was in, knowing that he has good friends that believe in him so much, like you."

Geetz didn't know what to say. While that girl's words had no logic whatsoever, they seemed promising for some reason. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, just..." Roll closed her eyes and smiled. "Woman's intuition."

"Oh." As illogical as it was, he couldn't argue with that, could he? He had heard from the Master that said ability was very dangerous. He thought that it was exclusive to the true humans, and never imagined that the Carbons would be able to develop it. On the other hand, he would be in deep trouble if it became apparent that Mistress Sera was also capable of using it...

"Everything will be fine." Roll assured him once more.

"... Hmm... Thank you for listening." He stood up. "I apologize for taking your time, as well as any inconvenience this conversation may have caused."

"No problem. It was nice talking to you. And you don't need to be so formal all the time, you know." She also stood up. "Guess I'll look for Data now. I hope he isn't causing trouble. See you around!"

Geetz left that room with even more questions than when he had entered. He didn't know what made him talk so openly with that Carbon girl, but somehow, he was glad to have been able to tell someone about his views on Trigger. The only person he had for company was Mistress Sera, who had a clear dislike for the Purifier ever since. There was also the fact that he avoided talking to her about matters outside the scope of his work.

Roll's words still nagged him. "... it sounded like you **really care** about him, and that he's a very good person. I'm sure he'd give his best to recover from whatever condition he was in, knowing that he has good **friends** that believe in him so much, like **you**."

Did he care about Trigger that much? His job was first priority, and he had the obligation to assist in terminating Irregular units. But even after Trigger was labeled as an Irregular, Geetz was unable to think of him as an enemy. Then, what was it supposed to mean? For him, there were only superiors and subordinates. "Friendship" was an alien word to him, because it was outside the scope of his work. Could he consider the Purifier as a friend? Did Trigger consider him as one? Geetz's attention was grabbed by a clock on a wall. It was past ten. Which reminded him. What century was it? His internal clock was wrong. After he awoke from stasis, it remained on the date he had been sealed. How much time had passed since then? He walked more until he located a wall with a calendar, and his mouth gaped. They were sealed in stasis for around 200 years! Many things could have taken place during all this time. He and Sera were finally awake, but what about Trigger? What did Yuna do to him? Would he be still alive? If so, would he still be around after all this time, or had Yuna sealed him like she had done to them? So many questions... Geetz wanted some time to think, preferably away from the noises of the party. He decided to breathe some fresh air outside. He noticed that the guards were distracted, seeming bored due to not being able to enjoy the party with the others. Geetz saw it as the perfect opportunity and snuck out of the ship. There, he stayed observing the night sky. So many stars. He couldn't explain, but it was very different from the artificial starred sky they could see from Elysium. It had more... Life, he supposed. Maybe it was expected to have defining features. It was the real deal, after all.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" A voice brought him out of his contemplation.

He turned, not expecting to have been found. Looking at him was a woman with short blonde hair, which reminded him of Roll somewhat. It was the same person he saw talking to Gatts when he and Sera were awoken from stasis. In other words... "Mistress Yuna?"

"Oh, what a surprise. I didn't expect you still would recognize me."

"I have seen your interaction with Gatts." He pointed out.

"No, what I meant is, I didn't think you'd still acknowledge me as a Mother Unit, now that I'm in a Carbon's shell."

"Which reminds me. Why did you exchange your shell for a Carbon's?"

"Actually, it was an accident. I tried to save her from dying, but her condition was so bad that I used too much of my energy trying to help her, and my programs ended up being transferred to her body. My original shell got too damaged. It can't be fixed unless I go back to Elysium and use its maintenance machines... There are some... Other factors too, and I guess I'll have to stay here for a while longer."

A flurry of thoughts passed through Geetz's head. It was Yuna. She and Gatts were the only leads he had. She was right there. It was the perfect opportunity to get answers. "Mistress Yuna..."

"What is it?"

"Since my last confront with Gatts, what has become of Master Trigger?"

"Hmm. Oh yes, you had seen his state that time..." She paused and considered what to say. "Well, I sealed him, like what I did to you."

"Where did you seal him?" Geetz didn't pose questions to his superiors boldly like that. Maybe it was due to Yuna's Carbon appearance that made her not look like his superior, or maybe it was something else. When he noticed, the words had already left his mouth.

"I placed him in a ruin somewhere." She was purposefully vague. "Sorry, but I won't reveal anything else. I still want to understand what really happened. Having been reset, with memories or not, he's the key to finding out what was the Master's true wish, and I can't risk having you and Sera destroying my only lead."

"You are not the only one wishing to know the truth. I am as well."

Yuna was thoughtful. "Hmm, '**I**,' not '**we**...?' Do you mean Sera isn't included? ... Ah, I see. You didn't tell her that you failed to end his life, did you?"

"..." Geetz didn't say anything, but his expression was enough confirmation.

They stared into each other's eyes for a bit. Yuna was the one to break the silence. "Sorry Geetz, my point still stands."

"Mistress Yuna..."

She waved a hand. "You should go back inside that ship. It won't be good if anyone notices your absence."

The Servitor wanted to insist, but he had to agree and break his gaze. At least now he knew that Trigger was alive. "Yes, I will take my leave. Thank you for your time." Geetz turned and began to walk.

"By the way!" Yuna spoke and made him stop and turn around to face her again. "That suit is nice on you." She said with a grin.

"M-Mistress Yuna..." He looked a bit flustered.

"Hee hee hee hee!" Yuna giggled. "It seems they're having some special event inside. I wish I could see what Sera's wearing... I hope they had picked something really cute for her! ... Ah, sorry, I shouldn't delay you more. Now go!"

Geetz turned and resumed his course.

Yuna murmured, when the Servitor was out of sight and earshot. "It looks like your influence still has effect on him. Since those parties on Elysium, I began to believe that there are more to us Units than the specifications say. And here I am, out of my original shell and free from the System's influence. It's a whole new experience that I wish they could also have. If there's someone that can make those two open their eyes, it's you, even if you don't have your memories. It'd be really nice if this could end without another fight... Is that too much to hope for? I don't know. But I'm betting all my cards on you, Trigger."

* * *

Sera and Rock had distanced from the orchestra and were leaving the room. Sera recalled the orchestra member saying that Rock had fought the pirates alone. She wondered what was the extent of that boy's power. After all, he was able to bypass the System's security, both on Forbidden Island and in the ruins with the first key. His looks didn't give any hint that he could even fight at all. However, looks could be deceiving, as she had learned after watching the first mission completed by Trig-

"Sera?"

"... Hmm?" She jumped. Rock was asking something.

"They said they'll begin doing performances on other islands. If Roll and Gramps want, we can go watch their shows again. I was asking you if you'd come with us." He explained everything, as if he knew that she hadn't heard anything.

"... Maybe." Probably not, since she planned to run the Reinitialization shortly, but she wouldn't say that. Her answer seemed to satisfy him, at least.

"I hope you're still around when the next performance comes. Ah, and do you think Geetz liked it too? ... Speaking of him, where's he?" Rock took Sera back to where they had been seated. "He isn't here... Let's wait a bit to see if he comes back. If he doesn't, we can look for him."

They waited. Rock tried to start a conversation, but Sera didn't make it any easy. They stayed there for around fifteen minutes, however there was no sign of the Servitor. Sera was getting worried. Whenever Geetz had to leave, he usually told her beforehand.

Rock noticed Sera's impatient looks and stood up. "Wait here. I'll take a quick look around."

He left in a brisk pace and came back a few minutes later. "Sorry, I didn't find him."

Sera sighed.

"Don't worry. He must be out there just enjoying the party." Rock spoke reassuringly. "By the way, that's what we should also be doing. Let's go. Maybe we'll run into him on the way."

Sera was "dragged" once more. Again, Rock took her by the hand, as though he were guiding a little child. Of course, she wasn't pleased. "Could you let go of my hand, please?"

"Sorry. I don't want to lose you in the middle of the crowd, then have to find you too. Finding Geetz is hard enough already."

Sera bit her lip. He had a point.

They were walking through one of the corridors when Geetz finally appeared.

"There he is!" Rock pointed. "Told you we'd run into him on the way. Geetz!"

The Servitor straightened up his posture and approached them. When he saw his mistress, Yuna's words came to his mind, and he had to admit that Sera was cute in that outfit.

"Where have you been for all this time?" She asked in an authoritative tone and snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Ah... Apologies. I was only doing some research." He tried to justify himself.

"About?" His mistress wasn't satisfied.

"Time. How long it has been since them."

"You did not ask for permission!" She raised her voice.

"My apologies..." The Servitor looked very uncomfortable.

"Listen." Sera gave him a stern look. "Geetz, next time, you should..."

Rock raised a hand. "Hey, please, could you two stop arguing!? Everyone has misscommunication problems sometimes. That's normal! He's here now. Isn't that enough?"

Sera wanted to snap at Rock. Her discussion with her Servitor was none of his business. However, she decided to contain herself when she looked around and saw a few Carbons looking strangely at them. "So, how long?" She said in a calmer voice.

"Two centuries."

"I see." She looked unfazed.

On the other hand, Rock had gotten quite the shock. "... Two hundred years... It's... It's too much time..." He spoke in a near whisper. Just the thought scared him for some reason. He tried to recompose himself. "B-but... Do you count time differently than us? I mean, to have needed to go so out of the way like that..." He asked, and almost blew up Geetz's excuse unknowingly.

"N-no. By what I observed, it's the same."

"Oh..."

They resumed their walk. Much to Sera's displeasure, Rock kept pulling her by the hand. She threw a few glances at Geetz in hopes that he would get her away from the boy since he usually didn't let anyone near her, but this time, the Servitor didn't show any sign of doing so.

"Rock, Rock!" They heard a feminine voice.

"Roll!" He directed the group towards her. "Geetz, Sera, this is Roll, my sister, spotter, and best friend."

"Actually, I met Geetz just a while back."

"Oh really?" Rock was surprised.

"Yes." The Servitor confirmed.

"Did you know?" Rock turned to Geetz. "She's a talented mechanic. I bring all sorts of broken things back from digs, and she uses them to make lots of technological stuff. Mostly weapons and digging equipment, but there're other things too. You'd be impressed! I can show you sometime!"

"Um," Roll began and diverted the attention from Rock's compliments toward her. "I was looking for Data. Have you seen him?"

"No." He answered. "Maybe he's after food? You know how he gets when he sees different kinds of food..."

"Yeah, maybe."

They walked some more, then grabbed a sandwich to eat. The "ancients" ate slowly and with a sparkle in their eyes. It was as though they never had a sandwich before.

"It's delicious, isn't it?" Roll looked at them and smiled.

"Yes." Geetz answered. "Very different from what we had back where we lived. There, sandwiches were canned and made from artificial substances."

To Sera, Geetz was speaking too much. There was no need for him to be revealing that.

"... Wait, what? The bread was canned?" Rock found it strange.

"Yes."

Rock made a face which reminded Sera of when Trigger complained about the food they had. "You said coffee was artificial, and now sandwiches too? What kind of life were you living?"

"It was meant to be perfect. All the food was made with precision, and exactly the right amounts of nutrients."

"That doesn't sound good..."

"It was made to have nutritious value. Taste was a mere detail."

Rock made another face, and the argument went on. It was as bad as convincing Trigger to just eat and stop complaining about the taste or the limited food variety. Sera sighed. Indeed, that conversation was getting nowhere.

They finished their sandwiches.

"Well, Data wasn't here..." Roll sighed. "I'll keep looking for him."

"I'll help you." Rock offered.

"We will return to the room assigned to us." Geetz spoke. "Mister Rock, thank you for looking after Mistress Sera during my absence, even though it was not your obligation."

_It was __**your**__ obligation, Geetz! You should not have left in the first place!_ Sera thought, gritting her teeth. She breathed deeply and decided to regard it as just Geetz acting polite in front of the Carbons.

"No problem." Rock smiled. "So now, we'll be off. See you!"

He disappeared with Roll in the midst of the crowd, while Sera and Geetz silently walked back to their assigned room.

* * *

A/n: in the game, the Sulphur-Bottom's background music is actually the first movement of "Spring" from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." Vivaldi was born in 1678 (so, 16XX), and the "Four Seasons" concertos are from around 1725 (17XX). Speaking of which, I'm doing some searching, trying to identify the public domain songs used in the Dash/Legends series, but didn't have much luck. The ones I found so far are:

* "Suite for Orchestra in D Major No. 3, BWV 1068: II. Air," by Johann Sebastian Bach: plays in Kattelox museum.

* "Etude no. 3 in E Major, Op. 10 No. 3, Tristesse," by Frédéric Chopin: used as a CD sample in the music store.

* "The Nutcracker Suite, Act I No. 8: Waltz of the Flowers," by Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky: plays during the Balloon Fantasy minigame.

* "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E-Flat Major," by Frédéric Chopin: a music box arrange of it plays in Roll's room inside the Flutter in the first game.

* "Little Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578," by Johann Sebastian Bach: used as Juno's theme.

* "The Four Seasons - Concerto no. 1 In E, RV 269 'Spring': I. Allegro," by Antonio Vivaldi: you should know where this is used by now :P .

Does anyone know of more?

I don't dare theorize in which year Dash/Legends takes place. So, no mentions of dates.

In the English version, Gatts calls Rock "Master Trigger." I always thought that thing about the "Master" and "Master Trigger" is confusing. It's as if you're putting Trigger on the same level as the Master, who should be considered superior to everyone else there. In the Japanese version, it's "Trigger Sama" for Trigger, and "Master" (literally, the word in English) for the Master, making the distinction clear. In this story, I wanted the Servitors to call him something other than "Master Trigger," but "Master" is probably the word with the most accurate meaning to use, so it'll have to stay as it is (and why not make fun of it? ;) ).

More Elysium flashbacks, and the obligatory "we exist for only this purpose" speech.

I guess my changes to Trigger's personality (which influenced the other Units) caused Geetz to get a bit out of character... Well, this story is called "Trigger of Change" for a reason :P .

Okay, too much rambling already. I'll stop now...

... Or not.

Update (2014/10/31): I made another audio drama in Japanese. This time, it's the part about the Master's orchestra recording, starring an irritable Sera and a very loud Trigger, with the first movement of "Spring" and all. You can listen to it here:

goo dot gl / i29AD1

Click on "Sera's Flashback - the Master's Orchestra" to jump to the section.


	3. The Baby

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 3: The Baby

It turned out that Data was in the Flutter. After running into Geetz, he had gone straight back to the Flutter to hide. What if Geetz recognized him? Data wondered if he could convince Geetz that it was just a coincidence, or that he got separated from Trigger and had nothing to do with him anymore. But what about Rock? What if the Servitor associated him with Trigger? What if they decided to kill him!? Even though Rock was a skilled fighter, Data knew that he wasn't ready to face Mother Two again. Would it be better to find Rock and tell him to run? ... No, his appearance was considerably different from before, he acted very differently... He had changed enough. There was no reason for them to suspect anything.

"Ah, Rock..." Data sighed, hoping nothing bad was happening to his friend right now. He closed his eyes and began recalling his precious moments with Trigger.

X:X:X:X:X

When Data had opened his eyes for the first time, he was greeted by two figures.

"Hello," the taller one said. "Do you know who we are?"

The newly activated robot looked up the descriptions in his database. "Hmm, you're the Master, right?"

"We built you. Everyone calls me 'Master.' I programmed you," he said, not acknowledging Data's answer.

"And I helped with the design and features!" The other figure added.

Data turned to the person who had just spoken. "And you're my owner! First Class Purifier Unit Rockman Trigger, right?"

"Yep, that's right! But it's a bit too long, so..."

"Rock!" Data interrupted.

"Huh?" Trigger was confused.

"Can I call you 'Rock?' Can I?" The little monkey bounced in place.

"Why is that?"

"'**Rockman**,' so '**Rock**' for short!"

"Err, but I'm not the only Rockman."

"But you'll be the only Rock! So?"

"Hmm." Trigger was considering it.

"What is he saying?" The Master asked.

"Huh? Can't you hear him?"

"No, I can't. I know you just wanted a backup device, but I ended up implementing some extra features. I made it so that his speech is encoded. Only your hearing components can decode it. In other words, only you can understand what he says. Also, all his files are encrypted, making it difficult for anyone to scan him."

"Oh, cool! But why did you do all of that?"

"I have an important mission for you, Trigger. When you carry it out, I want you to have Data with you. I hope you will never need all those features, however, something tells me that you might."

"Hmm, A mission?" Trigger gave a curious look. "What is it?"

"Now is not the time for it yet."

"Hey!" Trigger protested. "How come you tease me about it, then leave it hanging like that?"

The Master chuckled, ruffling the Purifier's hair. "We can't begin it now. Other preparations are necessary." His expression became serious. "One more thing, Trigger."

"Huh?"

"Remember. We built Data with no one knowing. He is our secret project. Absolutely **no one** should know of his existence. Is that clear?"

"A secret, huh? Interesting! Okay Master, don't worry. I won't tell anyone." He turned to Data, grinning. "Alright! I'm liking this secret mission thing already. Data, you can call me that. It'll be my codename from now on!"

"Okay!" Data jumped happily. "Then nice to meet you, Rock!"

"What is he calling you?" The Master asked.

The Purifier grinned again. "It's a secret!"

Everyone laughed.

"I'll be glad to back up your memories, to keep the important moments you don't want to ever forget!"

"Thanks! Let's start with this one right now!" Trigger spoke excitedly, eager to test the backup features.

That was the day when Data performed his first backup.

* * *

The Master had made a crystal where Data would be kept hidden, which Trigger began carrying like a pendant. Whenever he was at the Master's house, far from anyone's sight, Trigger would release Data and they would play together frequently. Thus, time passed.

* * *

Data awoke to the familiar process of being released from the crystal. This time though, he felt uneasy. Something was different. Where was he? This was not the Master's house. He looked around, taking in all the destruction. The chain necklace snapped and had fallen next to Trigger, who was lying on the ground with his armor shattered and sparking all over the place, and parts of his body missing or broken beyond recognition. Data's expression turned into horror when he saw his owner's state. "Eeeeek! Rock! What happened to you!? Where's the Master?"

"Da... Data." The Purifier spoke with difficulty. It was a wonder he could still talk. "The Master's... gone."

"Huh? Gone? Gone to where?" The little monkey wasn't grasping the situation.

"Gone forever... The Master... Died." Trigger had to spell it out.

"What!?" Data was shocked.

"Y-eah, a-and I will too, if you d-don't help me..."

Data hopped closer, looking at his owner in concern. "What do you want me to do, Rock?"

"I still have a mission to c... Complete. The Master asked me to do it... But my body is too da-maged, and can't be fi-fixed. The only way I see... Is to... Reset it... And wait until it regenerates fully."

Realization dawned on Data. The reset. That was a process exclusive to the more advanced Units based on the Rockman technology. They were built from extremely rare materials with regenerative properties, and were capable of regrowing their bodies anew from small cell samples of themselves, if the original Unit were broken beyond repair. The materials used to build them were so rare that a reset was preferred over trying to fix them. The catch was that they would lose their configuration, and their new body could take years to grow up fully, depending on how much material was available. In Trigger's case, not much could be reused, so he probably would end up as a small child. Data didn't like the idea. "You want to be reset?" He shook his head. "No, no, no, no. That'll take too much time! ... And you'll forget everything! You won't even remember what the Master asked of you!"

"That's why I... I want you to... Backup my memory... First." Since Data didn't move, he added. "Please be quick. If I shut down now... I won't come back..."

"... O-Okay." The little monkey hesitated, but decided to comply. He touched Trigger's head with his tail. "How much do you want to back up?"

"... As much as possible."

"I can't take too much. You need to be selective! I'll show you the memories and you pick what you want."

As Data skimmed through the important events in Trigger's memories, he quickly realized why Trigger wanted the reset performed. The process took a while. Trigger chose things that he thought would convince himself to carry out his mission. Mostly conversations with the Master about Terra, their situation on Elysium and the other Units' behavior. Everyone he befriended (including Geetz), and his attempts at befriending Sera. Then they got to the most recent memories, about the Master's final moments, and the fight that followed. Obviously, that was very important. However...

"Rock! There isn't enough space!"

"Hmm. What else... Is in there?"

"Let's see... There's everything you backed up after we played at the Master's house!"

"... Delete that."

"Huh? But then you won't be able to remember the times we played together!" Data protested. "I don't want you to forget that!"

"I'm sorry."

"But Rock!" Data made a hurt expression.

"Data, p-please." Trigger said in a tired voice.

"... Okay." The little helper finally complied.

The backup was completed.

"Now, the... Reset." His helper didn't move. "Da-ta...!"

"R-Rock..." Tears had begun to form in Data's eyes. "I don't... I don't want you to go away!"

"I'm not... Going anywhere." Trigger tried to comfort him.

"You won't be the same!" Data whined. "You won't remember anything. You won't remember me..."

"Data... I-I'm sorry. Just hold on to the memories... For me until... I reco-ver, 'kay?"

"Hum..." Data finally conceded. "Okay, I'll begin."

The little monkey put his tail on Trigger's head again, concentrated and accessed the Purifier's internal programs. He activated the reset sequence and Trigger's body began to dissolve into a bright light. "... Rock! I don't want to say goodbye to you!"

"I told you... I'm not going... Anywhere. Just pretend I'm going to sleep now... Alright? Then... Good night."

"Rock!" Data had begun to panic at the prospect of not being able to see his friend anymore.

"Data... Thank... You..." Were Trigger's last words before his body dissolved completely and turned into a bright orb of energy.

Only then did Data notice something he hadn't before. A small container was resting on the ground. He analyzed its contents. "Ah! It's the Master's genetic code! We need to hide this from Mother Two! So, where do I put this? Rock, Rock!" He called in vain. Trigger couldn't respond anymore because the reset was taking place, and whatever materials remained from his body were concentrating into a smaller form. "Ah, here goes nothing!" Data made his decision and thrust the container's contents into the orb of energy. The orb absorbed them immediately.

A few minutes passed. Data held his breath, hoping that the reset had gone right. When the light faded, where Trigger lay previously, was a small baby with brown hair and a light skin tone. He looked like a one year old Carbon. That scared Data. Aside from the spiky hair, the baby didn't look like Trigger at all.

"R-Rock?" The helper took a hesitant step forward.

The baby opened his green eyes and smiled, dissipating Data's fears. It was him...

"Hi, Rock." The little monkey crept closer and spoke in a low voice. "I'm your friend. My name's Data. You probably don't remember, but it was you who gave me this name. I like it very much." He kept speaking, while the baby sat up and looked at him curiously. "You always took care of me when I was inside your pendant. Now, it's my turn to take care of you."

The baby extended his hands and began touching various points on the monkey robot's head. When he noticed other objects around, he stopped inspecting Data and began grabbing fragments of rubble from the ground.

"No, Rock! That's not food!" Data had to take the object away when the boy threatened to put it into his mouth. The baby wailed in response, trying to take the object back. "Okay, but don't put it in your mouth, alright?" Data gently allowed the piece of rubble back into the baby's hands.

The boy turned the object over a few times, then dropped it to the ground, already interested in something else.

Data was thinking about what to do next. Where were they going to hide? How were they supposed to keep on living? It would be some twenty years until the Purifier's body regenerated fully. Would he have to raise Rock all by himself? That thought was scary... While he was distracted, the baby had already toddled a considerable distance away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Data hurried to catch up. "Gah!" He gasped. Just a bit farther, Sera was lying on the ground, unconscious. Her battle armor had deactivated. Most of it retracted back into her shell and couldn't be seen, but it was so damaged that many of its fragments got ripped off and didn't assimilate back into her system. They accumulated on the ground and added to the destruction on the scenery. Sera's body was also very damaged, although not as severely as Trigger's. The boy was going straight towards her! "No, Rock, not there! Come back here!" He made a huge effort to pull the boy away from her. "Listen. We need to get out of here and find somewhere to stay. Come on!" Data dragged him with difficulty while he cried, still not giving up on approaching Sera.

The baby was still crying when they got back to where the reset had taken place. Trying to distract him, Data handed him the empty DNA container. It worked. The boy gradually stopped crying and curiously examined, turned, opened, and closed the container several times. This went on until he got tired and began showing signs of sleepiness. Data laid him down and caressed his head until he fell asleep. The sun was setting and nightfall brought a bit of cold. The baby wasn't wearing anything and began to shiver. Data hugged him in hopes of giving him some warmth, but he soon noticed it wouldn't be enough. Trigger couldn't stay like that for long. Thinking on what to do and looking around, Data saw a town's lights in the distance. He decided to head there and see if he could find something that could be used as a blanket. It was hard for him to walk while dragging Trigger, so he decided to go there by himself. He hoped to be quick and that the boy didn't wake up while he was away.

That wasn't what happened, of course. It took a while until Data found a piece of cloth. When he came back, he almost panicked. The boy was not only awake, but Geetz, of all people, was standing there observing him, too! Data draped the cloth over the baby's body and tried to pull him away once more.

"Geetz, please stay away from Master Trigger!" Data heard Gatts' voice.

_Oh no. They already know about us..._ Data thought. "Rock, we need to hide! Let's get out of here!" The little monkey dragged the boy with difficulty, while the Servitor Units backed away and began fighting each other.

The duo didn't get very far, though.

"Now now, what do we have here..." It was Mother One!

The helper robot used all his strength to keep them moving, while the boy just looked around curiously, wailing because Data wouldn't let him see anything.

"Rock, move...!" Data protested at his partner's lack of cooperation.

Yuna crouched to their level, then addressed the boy. "Hmm, Gatts told me that you reset your body and absorbed the Master's genetic code. You're looking rather cute now, Trigger. Well, not that you weren't before..."

The boy stopped his eyes on her when his name was mentioned.

"I wonder why you had to go so far..." Yuna ruffled his hair, earning a smile in return. She giggled. "As for you," she looked at Data. "I don't think we've met before. Gatts saw you perform the reset. Who, or what are you?"

"Aaah!" Data yelped when Yuna gently separated him from Trigger and began trying to scan him. While he squirmed against her, the boy took the opportunity to drag himself away. "Rock! Rock! Come back here! Rock!" Data called in vain.

Minutes passed. Yuna was unable to get past Data's encryption and gave up. That was when Gatts came.

"Mistress Yuna. I was successful in incapacitating Geetz."

"Good." She nodded.

Data was still in Yuna's arms, with his ears down. He stayed quiet, since there was nothing he could do besides waiting for her to give up.

"This is the monkey robot that was with Master Trigger." Gatts noted.

"Exactly. I could see that he's an external memory storage device. Do you know what this means?"

"Oh..." Her Servitor widened his eyes in realization. "Even after the reset, Master Trigger will be able to recover his memories and resume whatever he was doing. Could it mean that the Master's kidnapping was planned all along?"

"Probably," she said.

"So Master Trigger even predicted the possibility of a reset?"

"Trigger? I don't know. He didn't seem one to plan ahead like that. Chances are that it **wasn't his plan**."

"Then, whose plan would it be?"

Her expression darkened. "I tried to scan him," she indicated Data. "but his files are heavily encrypted. All I could get is that he was made using Elysium's resources. His encryption is very strong and his internal design is really complex. Trigger was neither a designer nor a programmer to begin with. There's no way that he could have created something as complex as this... No, there was only one person on Elysium with the skill level to do that."

"What? So you mean..." Gatts found himself astounded at Yuna's implication.

"Yes. This little robot could only have been built by the Master himself. The Master was a genius programmer and designer. He was the one who created us, after all."

"This... Cannot be..." The Servitor was still incredulous. "So the Master was the one to plan all of this? Was he planning to go against his own System? To throw his life away? For what purpose?"

"Well, I'm sure the answer is right here." She tapped on Data's head. "We'll have to wait for Trigger to recover and get his memories back. That's probably the only way for us to know, I'm afraid."

Data felt somewhat relieved. At least Yuna and Gatts weren't wanting to kill Trigger. Maybe he could trust them.

"Speaking of Master Trigger, where is he?"

"Ah!" Yuna widened her eyes. "Oh no. I was so busy scanning the memory device that I forgot about him! He still can't walk, so he couldn't have gone very far..."

The three went off searching. To Data's dismay, the boy was once again back at where they had started, trying to poke Sera awake, out of all things! Data froze when Elysium's Mother Unit half opened one eye and slightly turned her head towards the boy. The Purifier baby smiled, unaware of the danger he was in. It was a relief when her eye closed back and she went still.

Yuna was amused. "Oh, so even now you insist on trying to get close to Sera? I see. Hmm, she even looks more peaceful now..." Yuna approached and picked the boy up, getting some wailing as protest. "Don't worry. She'll be fine. Gatts and I will take care of her, okay?"

Data was surprised that this was enough for the boy to calm down. Yuna dealt with him much more easily than Data ever could. She wasn't called a "Mother" Unit for nothing...

A few minutes later, Yuna had put Trigger to sleep.

"What should we do now, Mistress?" Gatts asked.

"Observe how the Carbons are developing, maybe?"

"... The Carbons?"

"Yes. I remember Trigger saying that the Master had a habit of observing the Carbons. Maybe that has something to do with his final decision. It might be worth taking some time to observe them more closely." She turned to Data. "I'll be sealing Geetz and Sera away. We need to make sure they won't find you, at least until Trigger recovers fully. I still need to see if the conditions here on Terra are suitable for Trigger to develop properly. Sorry, I'll also have to seal you two in the meantime."

Data nodded in understanding.

Thus, Sera and Geetz were sealed on the island that later would be known as "Forbidden Island," while Data and Trigger were sent to Nino Ruins.

* * *

"Ah! What is this!?" An old man gasped in surprise when the seal crystal melted. "A baby and a... Robot? What's a baby with a monkey robot doing inside the ruins! ?"

The boy panicked at the unfamiliar place, but the old man's voice grabbed his attention.

"How did you end up here?" Silence. "Ah, you can't talk yet, can you?" He decided to try with the robot. "Where are his parents?"

Data shook his head.

"Huh? His parents are missing too?"

It was more complicated than that, but Data decided to leave it as a "yes" and nodded.

"So you don't have anywhere to go?"

Data confirmed.

The man thought for a moment, occasionally murmuring things like, "What should I do now? I can't just leave them here..." He turned to them again after some deliberation. "In that case... You could stay with me. I have a granddaughter. I'm sure she'd love the company."

Data's eyes sparkled with joy. It was the perfect opportunity for Trigger to carry on with his recovery. Could this be their lucky day?

"My name is Barrell. Barrell Caskett." The man introduced himself. "Do you have a name?"

Data tried to speak, but Barrell didn't understand, reminding him that only Trigger could understand him. He changed tactics and began jumping and gesturing as if writing in the air. He had to repeat that a few times until the man realized what he was doing. He spelt "D A T A".

"Data, is it?"

The monkey jumped happily. It was nice to know that they could communicate in some way.

"What about the boy? What's his name?"

Data thought of spelling "Trigger," but he remembered that they were supposed to be hiding from Geetz and Sera. It would be better for the boy to be called something else.

"He has a name, doesn't he?" Barrell asked again, since the answer was taking too long to come.

Data almost shook his head so that the man would choose a new name, but then he realized that he also would have to call the boy something else if the name changed... Or not. Yes, there was a way. His secret codename for the Purifier was going to be more useful now than he'd ever imagined. Data made his decision and spelt "R O C K".

"Ro... Rock? Is his name Rock?"

Data confirmed.

"Rock! Hey, that's perfect!" Barrell seemed very excited, as though he had found the answer to a riddle. "My granddaughter is called Roll. Meaning that both of them together will make 'Rock n' Roll'! Hahahaha!"

Data laughed too. He was glad to have the name accepted.

Barrell carried them out of the ruins and to the Flutter. After giving them some food and putting Rock to sleep, he left to buy proper clothes for the boy.

By the end of the day, a friend of Barrell's came to the Flutter bringing Roll. She had stayed with the girl while Barrell went on his dig. She handed Roll back and left.

"Roll, we have two new friends." Barrell pulled her by the hand. "This is Data. And this is Rock."

The nearly three year old girl looked at them curiously. Data began dancing, making her giggle. That also woke Rock up.

"Rock, this is Roll, my granddaughter." Barrell introduced.

"Rock..." Roll slowly approached, extending her hand to touch him. He held her hand and smiled. She smiled back. "Gramps, where his parents?"

"They're missing too."

"Like Roll?"

"Yes, just like you." Barrell answered. "So, he'll stay with us. From today, he'll be your little brother."

"Little brother?" Roll's eyes were filled with joy. She hugged Rock and laughed. He laughed too.

* * *

A few days passed.

"Rock, come on!" Roll called. "No, not like this." She shook her head when he began toddling. "Walk! Stand up." She went to his side and helped him up.

Roll kept trying to help him to stand on his feet. He fell many times, until he started crying and gave up. At that point, no one could get him to try again until the next day.

One month later, Rock managed to take a few steps without falling.

"Come on Rock, you can do it!" Roll cheered while she waited for him.

One step... Another... Another... So close... And Roll took two steps back, increasing the distance between them. That left the boy really frustrated and he almost gave up on the spot.

"Rock, what's wrong? I'm here! Just a bit more."

He made a face, refusing to move. His legs trembled, looking like they would give way at any moment.

"Oh come on! Won't step back again. Promise."

No reaction.

"Go! Go! Go Rock! You can do much better than that!" Data cheered.

"You can do it!" Roll smiled encouragingly.

Rock finally decided to move. One step... Another... Another... Another... When he was close enough, Roll stretched her arms and enveloped him in an embrace.

"Yeeeaaaah!" Roll grinned from ear to ear. "I knew you could do it!"

But then Rock lost his balance and both of them collapsed.

* * *

At first, Roll was sad because of her missing parents, but the more she focused away from that and concentrated on helping Rock, the more often smiles made their way into her face.

Data watched as the years passed and the children grew up. He played frequently with Rock throughout the boy's childhood, but it really was different. Of course Data liked Rock as he was now, but sometimes he missed Trigger's contagious cheerfulness.

"... Delete that." Data recalled Trigger's painful words.

"Huh? But then you won't be able to remember the times we played together! I don't want you to forget that!"

"I'm sorry."

Deep down, every time they played, Data held onto a small fragment of hope that the impossible would happen and Rock would remember something from the time they played at the Master's house... That he would recover some of the memories they didn't have a backup of... But it never happened.

X:X:X:X:X

"Data!" Roll's voice startled him and brought him back to the present.

"Aaaah! What? ... Roll! Rock!" He was relieved to see that they were alright.

"Data!" Rock spoke. "We almost turned the Sulphur-Bottom upside down looking for you! Don't tell me you've been here the whole time..."

Data nodded.

"I can't believe this..." Roll threw her arms to the side.

"Um, you see..." The monkey robot tried to come up with an excuse. "I ate a lot and got sleepy! But it was... Uh... So noisy there... So..."

"Hmm." Rock didn't look convinced.

Data continued. "A-actually, that's what you two should be doing too! It's time for children to be in bed! ... Oh wait, you're still wearing the party clothes! These look nice on you, but you should give them back, you know!"

"What?" Roll turned to Rock for a translation.

"He says he wants to sleep, and that we should sleep too. Well, he's right. We'll be heading to the next key ruins tomorrow, so we need to be rested. Let's give the party clothes back and go to sleep."

"Ah! The clothes!" Roll gasped. "I completely forgot about that!"

* * *

X:X:X:X:X

That night, Rock had a weird dream. He was in complete darkness, unable to move. In fact, he couldn't even feel his body. Suddenly, he began hearing voices.

X:X:X

First Class Purifier Unit, Rockman Trigger. Shell restoration status: 70%.

Time elapsed since restoration start: 14 years, 4 months

Time remaining until restoration completion: 6 years, 5 months

Entering program reconfiguration stage...

Searching for configuration files... ... ... None found.

Hidden file detected... ... ... Configuration file "MASTER FILE 01" found. Encrypted file. Decrypting... ... ... Analyzing... ... ...

MASTER FILE 01

X:X:X

"Hello. Do you know who I am?"

Rock was unsure. Was he supposed to answer? That voice was familiar somehow... He tried to speak, but nothing came out.

The voice continued. "No, you probably don't. You still weren't given any data about me. That is because, instead of having the Programmer Units do the default info dump into your database, I chose to fill you in the details myself."

Rock was utterly confused. _Programmer Units? Info dump? Database? What... What's he talking about?_

"Well then. Allow me to introduce myself. I am your creator. But above all, I wish to be your friend. I no longer have a name, as it was lost throughout all these years. Instead, now everyone just refers to me as 'Master'. I am a human. Sadly though, I am the only one remaining. My race was completely eradicated, wiped away by an old and outrageous computer system, that we now call the 'Elder System.' I was able to escape to a colony in space, along with a group of other humans. Elysium. Our paradise. Our only hope. The place where we were free from that dreaded computer program. I built my own computer system that would create a suitable environment on Elysium, and also hold off the Elder System on Terra. This is now called the 'Master System'. For many years, my friends lived here on Elysium with me, helping me to run the System. When we concluded that the situation on Terra was under control, they went back there to take a closer look. I stayed behind to monitor the System, and it was a good thing I did so, I guess. We had not predicted what would come next. We got too used to Elysium's environment, and we were no longer able to withstand the conditions on Terra. My friends all died, making me the only human remaining..."

END OF FILE

X:X:X:X:X

Rock woke up. He began trying to make sense of that strange dream, but them his alarm clock beeped, reminding him that the day reserved a new adventure for him. The dream was pushed to the back of his mind to give place to more important matters. He would drop by the Sulphur-Bottom one more time, and then they would be off.

* * *

X:X:X:X:X

*Tap tap tap*

Sera knew she was dreaming. But why did it had to be about that event? It was the most painful day of her entire life. First because of the loss of the Master, then because the battle against Trigger. That Purifier had gone too far. His apparent friendliness towards others... Could it have been just a ploy, a façade to make everyone underestimate him? At that moment, Sera was convinced that this was the case. The climax had to happen right when they were "conveniently" at a shortage of Purifiers, too. He had gotten close to the other categories' Units just so they would help him, then he went and killed the Master! That was unforgivable! And after all that, he still insisted on making small talk and smiling at her mockingly. She couldn't stand it. Trigger was clearly an Irregular, and needed to be terminated. He should have been terminated a long time ago, before it even had a chance to come to that. Geetz was down. Yuna was reluctant to give her the keys, saying that they should talk to Trigger and try to understand what was going on. But Trigger was an Irregular. Sera had no reason to talk to him! Then what? She was alone. It was up to her to protect the System. She was the only one that could do it. Sera was consumed by rage and fought with all her might. It was a hard battle. She couldn't use her full power while outside of Elysium. But in the end, she managed to do it. She dealt the final blow and made him shut his mouth at last. However, he was no average opponent. He proved to be very strong. In the end, her armor was next to useless and her body was seriously damaged as well. Her consciousness didn't hold up and she passed out. That was the setting of her dream. She was lying on the ground with pieces of her shattered battle armor scattered all over her body and the ground around her. Her entire body ached intensely and she didn't dare to move.

*Tap tap tap*

_What?_ Sera thought as she felt soft small hands gently tapping on her head.

*Tap tap*

As painful as it was, she half opened an eye to see what was happening. What she saw made no sense whatsoever. A Carbon baby was kneeling next to her, precariously draped in a piece of cloth. At first he looked at her worriedly, then smiled in relief noticing that she had awoken. Something was familiar about those vivid green eyes, but she couldn't place it. The only thing she was sure of was that they were crystal clear like a river with pure waters, and had no hidden intents or purposes. What he showed towards her was care, pure and unconditional. That succeeded in soothing her and easing her pain a bit. It still made no sense, though. That pure and innocent figure was so out of place in the middle of that much destruction. Where had that Carbon baby come from? And why was he the only one there to give her comfort? Those questions went unanswered because unconsciousness took her away once more, leaving her to wonder if it had been just a dream or if it had really happened.

X:X:X:X:X

"Ah!" Sera jumped awake at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Mistress Sera?" Geetz looked at her.

"It was nothing." She quickly recomposed herself.

Geetz glanced at the door, then back at her, awaiting her decision. She nodded and the Servitor let the person in.

"Good morning." It was Rock. He was wearing casual clothing like he had on the other day. "I just came to say that I'm heading off to the ruins with the next key. Rumors are that the island is being attacked by pirates, so it may take a while if I run into them. Huh?" He noticed something wrong with Sera. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"I-it is fine. I was having a strange dream anyway," She said, rather calmly for someone who tended to strongly dislike having her sleep interrupted.

That action surprised Geetz.

"Are you okay?" Rock took a step forward and looked at her in concern.

"... Y-yes." She answered, transfixed by his green eyes.

He wasn't quite convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." She spoke more firmly this time.

He still insisted. "If there's something I can do..."

"Yes, there is." She interrupted him. "Stop worrying about insignificant details. Only focus on what you have to do and nothing else."

He considered her words. "... Hmm, haven't you said something like that before?"

Sera didn't recall ever saying such a thing to him. "It does not matter. Anyway, this is the kind of thing you should stop worrying about."

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving. I'll come back as fast as I can." He gave her a familiar smile, then left saying an even more familiar "Then, see you later!"

Back alone with Geetz, Sera couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. More specifically, that look of worry Rock had given her. It was exactly the same way as the baby from the dream had regarded her. Who was that baby? What was he doing there? Was it all just a dream, or was it real? Sera shook her head and decided to dismiss that thought, as those were the kinds of details she shouldn't be worrying about.

* * *

"I'm going." Rock walked past Gramps, who was alone in the room.

"Wait, Rock." Barrell put a hand on the boy's shoulder and stopped him. "There's something I wanted to tell you." He pulled a chair and motioned towards it. "Please, sit down."

Rock did as asked, a bit scared by the seriousness in Barrell's face.

"I knew this moment would come. The moment for me to tell you this... Well, it's about you. About how I met you. I always said that I had found you as a baby, but I never told you where." The man breathed deeply, then continued. "The ruins with the next key... The Nino Ruins..." Another pause. "It's actually the place where I found you, Rock."

Rock's mouth was agape. He had thought the island's name was familiar somehow. Now that Gramps mentioned it, he remembered. It was actually the place indicated in Barrell's notes about his discovery!

Barrell continued. "The ruins are usually closed. I don't know why they were open that time. I only know that I couldn't resist and entered, not wanting to waste the opportunity. In one of the rooms near the entrance, I found a crystal. It melted when I touched it, and you and Data were inside. I decided I couldn't just leave you two there and took you home. I even checked the ruins again later, and they were already closed. It was strange, but it couldn't have been a dream because you were with me."

Rock didn't know what to say.

"Rock. I have no idea as to how you ended up there. But since you are going to those ruins, you could take a look for yourself. Maybe you'll find something interesting... Some hint about your true parents, who knows? Maybe they were also Diggers and got separated from you inside the ruins or something..."

They stayed silent for a bit, until Rock finally spoke. "Um, Gramps? Thank you for taking me in. I'm very happy to be part of your family."

"We're really happy to have you with us, Rock. You always brought us many joys. You know? At the time I found you, Roll was very sad because her parents disappeared. It was hard to get her focus away from that. She cried a lot. I didn't know what else to do. Then you came, and she began doing whatever she could to help you. That's what brought back her confidence and her smiles. And look at you now. All grown up, and a very skilled Digger. You explored Forbidden Island, a mission that Bluecher and I and many other veteran Diggers have failed. And right now, you're collecting the keys to unlock the greatest treasure in History! I'm really proud of you, Rock!" Barrell patted Rock on the back. "Well, speaking of which, you have another key to collect. I shouldn't be delaying you too much, right?"

Rock stood up and nodded with determination. "Gramps, once more, thank you. I'll be going now."

"Please be careful."

Rock nodded again and left.

He met Roll in the Flutter, inside the engine room. _Roll,_ he thought and recalled his talk with Gramps. Roll had helped him for as long as he could remember, and still did tirelessly to this day.

"Ready, Rock?" She asked energetically.

"Yeah!" He nodded, with confidence showing in his face.

"Then, here we go!" She started the engines and the Flutter took off.

* * *

It was a chaotic day for Rock. He had to protect Nino Island from a pirate named Glyde and his gang of Birdbots. The pirate retreated, likely going to a base in Calbania Island. The Guildmaster promised to give him access to the ruins if he went to the base and stopped the pirates, so that was what he had to do. Once he reached Calbania Island, he infiltrated Glyde's base with help of the twins Appo and Dah, whose sister Shu had been captured by the pirates. Rock defeated many Birdbots, rescued the girl, and escaped the base which the enemy had set to self-destruct. Back at Nino, he had a run in with the boss pirate himself, having to fight and buy time while Roll fixed the island's special weapon, and that sent Glyde away. After that, the Guildmaster kept his promise and let Rock enter the ruins. Rock was very tired, so he got a good night of rest and only went to his dig on the next day.

The ruins were full of puzzles and controls that filled the rooms with water and limited Rock's movements. After what seemed like hours destroying Reaverbots and struggling with the water filling controls, he finally found the second key. He took it and made his way back. However, right at the entrance, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal the key from him, was a man named Klaymoor, the partner of the guy called Bola who fought him for the first key in the previous dungeon. They fought. Rock won, and that tiresome dig was finally over. Rock breathed deeply and gave a deep sigh as he grasped the second key in his hand.

"Rock, you did it!" Roll said excitedly through the radio.

"Yeah, finally... Now I just need to get out of here... Huh?" He was about to leave through the entrance door when something on the farthest wall caught his attention.

"Rock, where are you going?" Roll asked, confused.

He stopped in front of the wall. "Roll, are you getting any readings from this wall?"

"No. It's a dead end."

"Hmm. Ah!" When Rock touched the surface, it split in two and opened like an automatic door. It was totally unexpected and he almost stumbled to the other side.

"Wow, it was a door!" Roll was also shocked. "My radars didn't p...ck an...ing! Rock? Rock? C...n y... ...r me? I'm ...osing ...ignal! Rock! R...ck! ..." The radio went silent.

"Roll!" Rock called. No response.

Rock took a look at his surroundings. He stepped forward cautiously, with his Buster at the ready in case a Reaverbot decided to attack. It was in spacious rooms like those that bigger "boss" Reaverbots tended to appear, so it wouldn't have been surprising if he had to fight one there. He advanced slowly... And what really surprised him was that... Nothing happened. "Huh? What's this?" He noticed something on the ground and crouched to inspect it. "Paper?" It was a folded piece of paper. What was something like that doing inside those ancient ruins? It didn't look old, so maybe it was a note from one of the Diggers who had entered there recently? Rock had the feeling that he was getting into something he shouldn't, but in the end he unfolded the paper. A gentle click sounded when something fell from inside the fold. It was a broken chain necklace. "Huh...? A necklace? What... Ah!" Rock's eyes widened when he looked at the paper again. It indeed seemed like a note, or maybe a letter. Only, it was in ancient writing, and just like that time on Kattelox, he was able to read it. Rock thought of stopping himself, but before he could, he was already reading.

"Hello.

It's been a long time, huh? It looks like destiny is dragging you deep already. You are at the second one, am I right? Whatever path you choose, you certainly will need those keys, so go ahead. I won't stop you. If you prove to be able to get past security and collect them all, then hopefully it means that you are prepared for anything. Well, there's not much that I can do now, so I wish you good luck.

Kindly,

Yuna"

Rock was intrigued. It looked as if that message was meant for him, even mentioning the keys and the fact that he was there for the second one. However, the letter wasn't over yet.

"PS: I don't know if you remember, but that necklace is yours. It's broken, but it's yours. I figured it was a good time to give it back.

PPS: I can't wait to meet you in person, to see how much you have changed! From the way things are, I feel that our paths might be crossing again soon. So, Trigger, see you around!"

Rock's eyes widened. He dropped the letter as soon as he saw that name on the last paragraph. **Trigger**. That message was meant for Trigger, not for him... Unless, like Juno, that person also thought he was Trigger. "This can't be right. This is a mistake..." He murmured to himself. There was no way that he could be this "Trigger." His name was Rock Volnutt. He was with Gramps and Roll for as far back as he could remember. His life had started like anyone else's, as a baby. Gramps found him, and... "No..." He whispered as he recalled the talk with Gramps.

"The ruins with the next key... The Nino Ruins... It's actually the place where I found you, Rock. ... In one of the rooms near the entrance, I found a crystal. It melted when I touched it, and you and Data were inside. ... I have no idea as to how you ended up there. But since you are going to those ruins, you could take a look for yourself. Maybe you'll find something interesting..."

"No!" Rock threw the paper far away. "I'm not Trigger. I'm Rock. Just... Rock..." He was trembling. His voice got weaker with each word he spoke. He retrieved the chain necklace from the ground, ready to throw it as well, but he didn't get to do it. Holding that necklace felt surreal. There was something familiar about it. A special meaning. A secret mission. Something from long, long ago... "No..." His voice kept failing, and he was unable to stop the tears that formed and rolled down his face. He stayed there until the tears stopped, then headed back, and unconsciously pocketed the chain necklace.

As soon as he came out of the room, his radio's signal was back.

"Rock! ... Rock!"

"R-Roll?"

"Rock! Thank goodness..." Roll sighed in relief. "What happened in there?"

"I... I don't know. I think there's no signal in there."

"Huh? ... No, I mean, what did you find there?"

"Ah... The room was big. I inspected it. No Reaverbots or anything. I just found... A broken chain necklace. That's all." He had never told anyone that he could read the ancient writing. He didn't want to believe it himself and refused to give any detail, even to Roll.

"Hm? Strange. Maybe it was lost by some Digger that ventured there before?" Roll theorized.

A snippet from the letter involuntarily appeared in his mind. "I don't know if you remember, but that necklace is yours." And he felt like crying again.

"Rock, are you alright?" Roll asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He answered as firmly as he could. "I'm just tired. Really tired... I can't wait to be back in the Flutter to take a good rest."

Roll was completely unaware of the turmoil in his mind, so his explanation was enough to convince her.

* * *

It was nighttime when Rock arrived back in the Flutter. He took a shower, had dinner to recharge his energy and threw himself on the bed. He wanted to sleep and forget everything about that strange room, or maybe wake up and find out it was just a dream. Luckily, that night, he had a very happy dream where he ran and laughed, playing with Data in a beautiful garden at the back of a big house. Whoever entered his room would see that he slept peacefully, and had a wide smile on his face.

* * *

A/n: at the end of the first game, Data says he was created by Trigger to hide the memories from Mother Two, but not much more info... In this story, Trigger had a hand in it, but who did all the heavy work was the Master :P .

About Rock and Roll's age. they're the same age in the games, but in this story, Roll is a bit (almost two years) older than him. I needed the disappearance of Roll's parents to happen first, so that Rock's arrival would have more impact on Roll's life (with her focusing on helping him and all that, while she tries to get over what happened to her parents), something important for this story, and for this chapter.

The part about the reset is probably the most serious scene with Trigger until now.

I think it's a pity that the bit about Rock's discovery isn't expanded anywhere. It's talked about only in Barrell's notes, and you can play the whole game without ever reading them, and miss it completely. At most, there's a very short mention of Barrell's reaction when he found them, if you talk to Data on Elysium (I think it's missable too, if you don't ask Data). No one else ever talks about it, Rock doesn't react to it, and there's no indication of anything in Nino ruins either... It's like it's only for the player to know, not mattering to any of the characters at all (including Rock, even though he seemed so troubled at the end of the first game because of the mystery of his origins).

For this story, I'm considering that on Elysium, Trigger had the appearance of a young adult, nearly 22 years old by human terms. After his battle on Terra, his body was reset to a one year old toddler. So, considering the time, at around 15 years old (14 years later), his body would be more or less 70% "restored" to the way it was before, with 6 years and a few months to go until he turns 22.

Also, Yuna is so fun to write. ;)


	4. The Silence

A/n: a note for the few people that listen to my Japanese audio dramas :P : I made a new one for chapter 2, about the Units watching the Master's orchestra video. Check the bottom of chapter 2 or my profile for the link.

Now, on to chapter 4.

* * *

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 4: The Silence

Rock awoke in high spirits the next day. That happy dream had managed to cheer him up and make him forget his problems. "Good morning!" He greeted Roll when he met her in the Flutter's living room.

"Good morning, Rock. You look well today." She noted.

"Yeah, I slept very well last night. I feel ready for more!"

"Hey, calm down." Roll laughed. "It's been only two days and you saved an island, destroyed an enemy base and excavated a key of the legendary Mother Lode from the deeps of Nino Ruins. You should slow down a bit, don't you think?"

"Hahaha. Don't worry, Roll. Just a figure of speech. I'm not going out of my way to look for trouble or anything."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Roll grinned and both laughed together.

From the couch, Data watched them with a smile and a distant look. Rock's current cheerful state reminded him of Trigger, his best friend from long ago, who he wished he could meet again. But Data knew that it wouldn't happen. Rock did a few things reminiscent of Trigger sometimes, but he had changed too much. There was nothing left from his previous configuration, which was what determined the main points of his personality. The truth was that, even if Rock were given his past memories, the Trigger that Data once knew would never come back.

Roll said she would prepare breakfast and left for the kitchen. Rock and Data were alone in the living room.

"Data?" Rock noticed the little monkey's unusually sad expression. "What's wrong? It isn't like you to be so down like that."

"Ah, nothing. Just thinking..."

"Huh? Thinking about what?" Rock sat on the couch next to Data.

"Rock... We've come a long way, haven't we?"

"Hmm?"

Data answered his own question. "Yeah, to think once there was a time when you weren't much bigger than me!"

"Oh... Right. Sometimes I forget that you're actually older than me."

"No, I'm not older than you." Data corrected.

"You aren't?"

"No. You were already around when I was built. I talked to you about that once, remember?" Data was referring to that time on Kattelox, after the battle against Juno. He had summarized it a bit and said Rock had created him, although without explaining that he hadn't done it alone.

Either Rock didn't remember, or if he did, he'd disregarded it completely. "Okay. But, at least, you've been here with Roll and Gramps for as long as I have... Right?"

"Well, yeah. Gramps found both of us during a dig and brought us home."

Rock's expression became serious when he remembered the previous day's event. He had an idea. If Data could answer his questions, he would be able to confirm that it was a mistake and that the person from the letter was wrong. "It was in Nino Ruins, wasn't it? He told me the other day."

"It was. He asked our names, and he couldn't understand me, so I had to write in the air, like this!" The little monkey jumped and repeated the movements, spelling "D A T A" and "R O C K." "He was very excited when he found out your name, saying that you together with Roll would make 'Rock n' Roll!' Hahahaha!"

The boy also laughed, relieved to have confirmed that his name was indeed "Rock." "What about 'Volnutt?'"

"Gramps asked if you had a family name. You didn't, so he decided to give you one based on something from the time he had found you. He examined the piece of cloth you were draped in, and it had 'Nuts and Bolts' written on it. He shuffled that around and came up with 'Volnutt!'"

"Hahahaha!" Rock laughed again. "... Okay, but what happened to my family?"

"Hmm..." Data hesitated. "You see. It's kinda complicated. A lot happened. Not much was left of the place where you lived before. But you're with Roll and Gramps. They're your family now, so it doesn't matter too much, does it?"

"Oh." Rock seemed a bit disappointed. "I guess not. But sometimes I wonder how it was, or how it could've been like."

"You'll know in due time. Don't worry about it for now. Just concentrate on who you are, and what you're doing now."

"Hahaha! You know? Sera also said something like that."

"Wa-what!?" Data's eyes bulged when he heard Mother Two's name.

"Sera is one of the ancients that were trapped on Forbidden Island." Rock explained, unaware of the reason for the little monkey's shock.

"I-I know that!" Data's thoughts raced. What made Sera say that? Did she know anything about Rock's identity? He hoped not. How was he going to approach it? "So she... Uh... Talked to you?"

"Yeah. I always go talk to her and Geetz when I have free time. Huh?" Rock noticed that Data had his mouth hanging open.

"Y-you're... You're talking to them!?" Data knew that Rock talked to most people, but he never thought the boy would go out of his way to talk to those two.

"I am." Rock didn't see any problem with it. "They seem a bit strange at first, but they're actually nice once you get to know them. I think they're just not used to this world."

Mother Two and Servitor Two? Nice? Data was getting worried. It was dangerous to have Rock constantly near them. "Uh... Yeah right. What kind of things do you talk about?"

"Hmm, nothing in particular. I tell them about what we do here. They sometimes talk about the food from their time. It was all artificial and must have tasted horrible!"

"... Huh?" That wasn't what Data had thought he would hear, although that kind of interaction was similar to what Trigger would do. At least, they didn't seem to have gotten into "details." Hopefully they hadn't suspected him of anything.

"I like to show them around! It's interesting to watch their reactions to what they see!" Rock said enthusiastically. "It isn't every day that you meet people from a different time, right? I still hope we can really get along!"

"..." Data shut his eyes, scared. Things seemed worse than he had initially thought. How didn't he notice it before? Rock was playing with fire. If at least Data had known about it, or had imagined there were chances of it happening, he could have warned Rock before, and told him to stay away from those suspicious people. But it was too late now. He couldn't just tell Rock to avoid them. He didn't have any convincing argument. The only way would be to explain everything, and he didn't know if his friend was ready to take all of it in yet. The problem was that they were already involved with the keys to the "Mother Lode." All of them would be collected soon, and Rock would have to resume his mission earlier than anticipated, without even having his body fully restored. Would he be able to win if it ended in another fight against Mother Two? Data didn't know, and didn't want to think about that.

"Hey, you two!" Roll's head popped up through the door. "It's breakfast time! We have cookies!"

* * *

X:X:X:X:X

Same setting, same dream. Sera was lying on the ground with her armor broken, and there he was. The little baby with the pure green eyes. How she wished to solve that mystery. What was that carbon baby doing there? She had a urge to reach for him, but her body refused to move. _Who are you?_ Was all she could think before unconsciousness took her away again.

X:X:X:X:X

Awake, she looked at the clock. It was past eight in the morning. Geetz sat on a chair near her bed, waiting patiently as always. They stayed there in silence for a few minutes, until there was a knock on the door. Sera authorized Geetz to open it, and so he did. On the other side was someone they certainly weren't expecting.

"... Miss Roll?"

"Hi, good morning!" Roll smiled at them. She was holding a plate of cookies. "I hope you're doing well. It was very hectic, but thankfully everything went fine on Nino Island. Rock is handing the key to Mister Bluecher right now, and I decided to come here to pay you two a visit. Here, these are for you." She set the plate of cookies on a small table they had in the room. "Nothing fancy like what they cook here in this ship, but I hope you like it. They're freshly baked!"

Geetz was still bewildered with the unexpected visit. "Y-you did not need to go to the trouble..."

Roll shook her head. "No, it isn't any trouble. I just made something different and thought it'd be good to share."

"... Thank you very much." The Servitor bowed slightly.

Minutes later, the two "ancients" were munching on the cookies. Geetz brought his chair next to the table and pulled another one for Sera. Roll made sure they were comfortable and served them herself.

"Do you like it?" She asked expectantly.

"Yes." Geetz answered. "It is delicious. Thank you."

Roll smiled brightly. "I'm glad you like it!"

Then, a guard came bringing a tray with a bottle of milk for their breakfast. Geetz stood up to get it, but Roll was quicker.

"Yes, yes, Thank you!" She received the item. The guard left and closed the door. "Hahaha, whoops, I had just noticed I forgot to bring you something to drink. This is perfect! Great timing!" She took the cups that were on the tray with the milk bottle and filled them. "Here." She placed the cups on the table in front of the "ancients."

"... Hm th-thank you..." Geetz felt very uncomfortable. As a mere servant, he wasn't used to that kind of treatment. He should be serving others, not the other way around. Bluecher's guards also came to bring them food, but it was different. They quickly came, set the tray on the table and left, just doing only what was necessary, what they were ordered to do. Roll on the other hand, wasn't following orders. She looked at them curiously, patiently waiting while they ate. Why was that? Why didn't she leave? He couldn't comprehend. It reminded him of the "hidden" traits shown by the Units at those parties on Elysium, something he had initially thought was impossible. For a long time, Geetz was sure that no Unit (himself included) was capable of having emotions. Whenever he showed apparent "displeasure" towards something, he had thought it was just his program's normal response to things that deviated from the rules. However, as time progressed and they interacted more with each other, Geetz began thinking that there was more to it. After awakening from his imprisonment and observing how the Carbons behaved, he was starting to think that there was more to them, too. He glanced at Roll again. She was smiling. The Carbons' "emotions" were supposed to be mere simulations, yet that smile seemed so genuine. That girl had also mentioned having women's intuition, another thing he thought only the true humans could have. Was she an exception? No, that couldn't be. That orchestra from the party was also quite impressive. Could the Carbons have developed that far?

Meanwhile, Sera was intrigued by the cookies' taste. She had been there for less than one week, and she was already getting convinced of the superiority of Terra's food over Elysium's. It didn't have the metallic flavor that their artificial canned food had. She wondered what the Master's reaction would be if he could eat those cookies. Would he smile brightly like that girl was doing? How Sera wished she could see that. She even considered learning to make them so she could say she had prepared them especially for him, but quickly dismissed the thought. The Master wasn't even there, so there was no point. She went back to imagining the Master eating the cookies anyway... And of course, her moment would be ruined by a dark red-haired blur zipping past them and snatching many of the cookies.

"Trigger! These were the Master's cookies!" She would get angry at him.

"It is no problem." The Master would answer, and let Trigger have his way as always. That would irritate Sera even more.

In the "real world," the cookies were consumed one by one, until there were none left.

"Miss Roll, thank you very much for the cookies. They were delicious." Geetz complimented.

"You're welcome." Roll took the tray with the empty dishes. She was about to leave when she noticed something was off about Sera. "Sera? Is something wrong?"

"I-it is n-nothing..." Sera was pulled out of her fantasies.

"You look a bit um... Sad." Roll noted.

"I am fine," she said in an emotionless way.

It didn't convince Roll, though. "Hmm. It must be boring to stay here the whole day without anything to do... Oh, I have an idea! We could take you to visit a nice town! That might cheer you up. You two came here right after waking up from stasis, so you didn't have the opportunity to see the current towns, right?"

"Mister Bluecher will not allow it." Geetz argued.

"I'm sure something can be worked out. We can ask for permission. If I can't, Rock can. You know, he has a way of convincing people..."

"Why do you concern yourselves with us so much?" Geetz asked.

"Um, it must be hard to wake up in a strange place with no one you know around. Since you're here, we want you to have a good stay. Well, I'll be going now. I'll take the dishes."

The Servitor thanked her once more, and Roll left, carrying the tray with the empty dishes.

A bit later, a guard came to say that Mister Bluecher was calling, and Geetz left. Alone with her thoughts, Sera closed her eyes. After two minutes, she dozed off. Then she jumped awake, startled by a voice.

"Mistress Sera!"

That was impossible. She quickly opened her eyes and looked around. "Tr-Trigger? How did you get h..." But no one was there. "... Again? This is getting worse..." She whispered to herself. _Why is my program acting this way? What is wrong with me!?_ She thought. _This lack of activities is driving me crazy!_

She breathed deeply to calm down. Time passed. Silence. Nothing happened, nothing changed, just as expected of her new routine. Like every day since awakening from her imprisonment, Sera was there with nothing to do. No work, no logs to analyze, and... No Trigger to bother her. She had hated so much when he disturbed her work, so why did his absence seem so strange all of a sudden? He had always been a nuisance and she couldn't wait for the day she would finally be rid of him. Then, he became an Irregular. The Master was dead and would never come back, all because of him. Sera had terminated him herself. Trigger also would never come back, and she should be thankful for that. Yet, she always caught herself thinking about him, going as far as to fantasize about scenes involving him and the Master like in the Elysium days. Back then, his pestering was so frequent that she began taking it for granted, but now that he wasn't there, it felt like something was missing. After coming to the Sulphur-Bottom, when the lack of activities got her bored, sometimes she had the impression that the door would burst open and Trigger would invade the room, ignoring her countless warnings about knocking before entering. However, nothing happened, and she had to stay there the whole day doing absolutely nothing. And now, she was hearing voices and talking alone. Why was that happening? Could it mean that she missed his presence? No! That was ridiculous! She would never...

*Knock knock knock*

Someone was at the door. This time, Geetz wasn't there to open it for her.

*Knock knock knock*

She considered ignoring it and waiting until the person gave up, but in the end she concluded that it would be better to answer. "Come in."

The door was opened, and Rock entered.

"Ah, it was you," Sera said, sitting up slowly.

"Were you expecting someone else?"

That question caught her completely off guard. "Y-I mean... Um... I... I do not know." Her tone was unusually hesitant.

"Huh...?" Rock threw her a confused look.

"What brings you here?" She asked before he could say anything else.

"Ah, right! Good news. We have the second key now!"

That statement was enough to wash Sera's doubts away. "Good job." Praise left her mouth. A very rare occurrence.

"Thanks. I hope I didn't make you wait too much."

"No. You were quicker than I expected." Her good mood continued.

"A lot happened, but I did everything as quickly as I could. Maybe it'd be a bit quicker if the pirates weren't there."

Sera was impressed. That ruin wasn't the easiest one to navigate. On the contrary, it was one of the hardest, since it housed one of the keys - something linked to the System's deep secrets -, therefore it had advanced security mechanisms to prevent just anyone from clearing it. Yet he was saying there was the possibility that he could have been even quicker? She was getting more and more curious about the extent of that boy's abilities. She was unable to picture him doing any of that. He looked no different than any other ordinary Carbon teenager. And he couldn't be lying if Bluecher had the key and called Geetz to talk, so for now, she was satisfied. "It is enough."

"Oh, that's good." Rock sighed in relief. "Do you know what's inside the ruins? It has those controls that fill or drain water from the rooms. When the place fills with water, it's very hard to move, and going from one room to another takes ages..."

Sera nodded. She was well aware of how those ruins worked.

"It had a lot of puzzles involving filling or draining the rooms. I was lucky to have Roll navigating for me, or I think I'd still be stuck there..."

"Hm." So it wasn't all his doing? If Roll was as good as he said, she also deserved some credit. Finding a way to get around the System's obstacles wasn't exactly easy. Even so...

Rock shuddered with the idea of getting stuck there. "Ugh, I don't even want to imagine that! Those ruins were very annoying. I hope I'll never need to go back there again..."

"I see what you mean." Sera showed some sympathy for once. "Do not worry. You will not need to return there."

"I hope you're right..." His expression darkened momentarily. "Ah. Out of all places, why it had to be there that I..." He shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway, you want to see the key, don't you? Geetz is talking to Mister Bluecher right now. If you don't want to wait for him, I can take you there."

Sera nodded. She made to stand, and he helped her up.

"Everything okay?" Rock got another nod in response. "Then let's go."

To Sera's annoyance, he took her by the hand once again. She spoke when they got past the door. "It is not crowded this time. There is no reason for you to hold my hand now, is there?"

"Ah! Whoops, I got used to it, I guess. Besides, I don't know how your health is doing, so it's better to be safe. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't fall or anything."

Sera gritted her teeth. There was that too. She had to feign weakness. She decided to put up with it for the moment. It would be a short walk anyway.

* * *

Geetz had finished his talk with Bluecher. Roll was talking to him and Barrell, while Bluecher spoke to a guard.

"Gramps, did you know? There's one more person from the past!" Roll spoke with sparkling eyes.

"Oh? No, I didn't." Barrell was amused at his granddaughter's excitement.

"Geetz, what was his name, again?"

"His name was 'Trigger.'"

"Hm. What an unusual name." Barrell commented.

Geetz added. "I believe he was sealed inside a ruin somewhere, much like what happened to us."

"Hmm." Barrell closed his eyes in thought.

"Geetz spoke so well of him that now I want to meet him too! Hahahaha!" Roll laughed nervously.

Geetz cut her off when he saw Rock and Sera passing by. "Miss Roll." He whispered. "We should refrain from talking about this subject in Mistress Sera's presence, as she has some... Reservations against him..."

"Ah, okay, sorry. I understand." Roll nodded. "I'll be more careful."

* * *

Rock and Sera arrived at their destination, and there the keys were. One had become two, only halfway to go... The glint of satisfaction crossed Sera's eyes again. And this time, Rock caught it fully.

He smiled in relief. "Good to see you happier about something. You looked a bit troubled the other day, so I got worried."

Her seriousness was back in an instant. "I told you not to," she said in a scolding tone.

"Yeah, and that's more the reason to worry."

"Your words are making no sense."

He decided to explain. "I meant that it looks like something is bothering you, but you aren't telling." He saw her right eye give a slight twitch. "Am I right?"

"Hmph." A grunt escaped her lips. It was disturbing how that boy could read her well.

That only served as confirmation to him. "You didn't tell it to anyone, did you?"

She hesitated for a second, then slightly shook her head.

"Not even to Geetz?"

"No."

"I think you should tell him, at least."

"There is no point."

"Why not? You trust him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then why?"

Sera sighed. Her patience was reaching its limit. "Because it is about the past. No one can do anything about it, since the past cannot be changed. Stop asking questions, Trigger!"

They were so used to that kind of arguing that neither of them noticed the slip up.

"But I..." Rock trailed off, only them realizing something wasn't quite right. "Wait, what? What did you say just now?"

Sera was having trouble controlling her temper already. She gave him a stern look, much like she did with Trigger when he decided to ignore her orders. "Weren't you listening? I told you to stop asking questions!"

"Huh? Hmm. Yeah, but..."

Sera raised a hand and cut him off, seeing more coming. "What part of 'stop asking questions' you did not understand?" She threw him one of those glares that would make any Unit flinch... Except for one, of course. And to her frustration, he didn't, either.

Rock ran his hands through his forehead, then nodded, giving up. "Okay, okay. Sorry. I got it. Now, calm down."

Sera breathed deeply a few times. That was getting dangerous. She had to be more careful or she would blow up her façade. "I will return to the room." She turned and began walking away slowly.

"Wait!" Rock made to follow.

"I am fine by myself." She spoke without turning back and continued walking.

Sera slowly made her way along the corridor. She passed by a janitor that was entering a room to clean it. She was a bit distracted and didn't notice that the floor was wet from the recent cleaning... Until it was too late, that is. Sera slipped. Back on full alert, she desperately flailed trying to recover her balance. Although her efforts lasted for just a few seconds, it seemed much longer to her. Of course, despite her protests, it goes without saying that Rock had followed her. He ran to her and helped her up, and saved her from the embarrassment of face-planting on the ground.

"You got me scared now. That was close..." Rock spoke, taking care to not turn anything into a question.

Sera wasn't expecting to fall. She was also a bit taken aback, although she managed to recover her composure quickly. Slowly and determinedly, she turned around, ready to reprimand Rock for having followed her after she had told him not to, but she was caught by his green eyes. They were crystal clear like a river with pure waters, with no hidden intents or purposes. He was giving her that worried look, pure and unconditional. Sera gasped. It was just like that baby from her dream. No, there was someone else that did that, but she couldn't remember. Who was it?

"Let's go back," Rock simply said, resisting the urge to ask what had left her so bewildered.

He grabbed her hand once more. This time she didn't protest, and they made their way in silence.

Back to the room, Rock wordlessly helped Sera onto the bed. He began walking towards the door, but stopped and turned around to look at her again. "If you ever feel the need to talk about something... Anything... Even if you think it's not that important... You can tell me, or Roll too. We're here to listen." A pause. "You're trusting us with the keys. It'd be nice if you trusted us with other things too."

She didn't answer.

He left. Sera found herself alone once more. She decided to sleep. Maybe then she could pass the time without having to think about all those things.

* * *

Geetz was on his way back to the room when Rock met him.

"Hi, Geetz. You must have seen when we were passing. I took Sera to see the keys."

"Yes. Thank you."

The boy hesitated. "Um, may I ask, what's your relation to Sera?"

"I am just her servant."

"Huh?" Rock was incredulous. "Just that, seriously?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you friends?"

"I do not believe we can be considered even that." The servitor answered.

"I can see that she trusts you a lot." Rock insisted.

"That is because I never gave her a reason not to."

"Alright." Rock got to the point. "I noticed that she's upset about something. We ended up having a little... Argument in the key room..."

That didn't sound good. "A-an... Argument?"

"Yeah. It looks like something is bothering her. I asked her about it but she didn't tell me. She got angry at me because I insisted too much."

"Hmm..." Geetz was worried. Having Sera snap could be dangerous. Strangely, Rock seemed too calm after having argued with her. The boy deserved some credit for that alone.

"I understand that she wouldn't want to tell me. We've barely met. She still doesn't trust me much. Maybe if you talked to her..."

"There is no use," Geetz said. "We do not talk much either. I am not allowed to talk to her about matters unrelated to our work."

"Huh?" Rock rolled his eyes.

"These are the rules. That is the way it is." Geetz insisted.

"This isn't right!" Rock protested, in a way quite reminiscent of a certain Purifier Unit. "You get worried when something happens to her."

"I..." Geetz would argue back, but Rock interrupted him.

"It wasn't a question, Geetz. I know you do, and I don't think it's just because she's your superior. It's because she's someone you care about."

Geetz didn't know what to say. How could Rock have gotten to that conclusion? The boy had seen too little of their interaction to be able to know anything. Was he just assuming things? Was it misguided? No. Something in the boy's eyes said that there was more to it. What could that be? Was it yet another of those unexplainable things? Surely, Geetz was witnessing too many of those since his awakening from stasis.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"... Yes." The Servitor admitted. "However..."

"Look." Rock interrupted him, staring him in the eyes. "I don't know if the problem is related to work or not. But the point is, something's happening to her. She needs help, but she doesn't trust us enough to let us help her! Until she decides to open up to me and the other people here, you're the only person she has, Geetz."

The Servitor almost took a step back. It was as if he were seeing Trigger, on the rare occasions when the Purifier made a serious face.

"You're very dedicated to her." Trigger's words replayed in his head. "If something happens to her, it worries you. Am I right?"

"I... I understand." Geetz finally conceded. "I will try to talk to her and see what I can do."

"Thanks." Rock nodded.

Geetz didn't understand why Rock was thanking him, but didn't ask. He continued on his way while thinking on what he had gotten himself into this time. He felt a bit guilty for disobeying a rule, just like when Trigger forced him to tell the Master about small problems.

* * *

Unluckily, Sera was unable to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about her problem. What was happening to her? Why was her program acting that way? From what she knew, she could risk saying that it had some resemblance to emotion, but Sera didn't believe she, or any other Unit for that matter, was capable of such a thing. Only the true humans could manifest emotions. There was no point in implementing such behaviors into the Units. It would be troublesome, since those would only take focus away from their tasks. Then what was that? Was it a program error? She recalled her outburst from earlier. On Elysium, it happened frequently, especially when talking to Trigger. Sera thought it was her program's default response to his behavior, since he refused to follow the rules strictly. But this time, the matter had nothing to do with her duties, nothing to do with the System's rules. What made her act that way? What if it happened again and she got unable to control herself? Sera hoped it wasn't a sign that she was becoming an Irregular.

Geetz knocked and entered. Sera sat up and turned her head in his direction, but her eyes didn't focus on him. He stopped in the middle of the room and silently regarded her for a moment. He slowly approached the bed, built up the courage and asked, "Mistress Sera, what is the matter?"

Sera didn't answer. She didn't move. She didn't even seem to have acknowledged his question. Geetz was starting to regret his choice of trying to talk to her, when she finally addressed him.

"Geetz..." She spoke hesitantly. "After awakening from the seal, did you notice any... Change to your program?"

A strange glint flashed in Sera's eyes when she spoke. It resembled... Fear? That was something Geetz had never imagined to see coming from her. Not to mention that he didn't remember ever seeing her so hesitant. Was she starting to show "hidden" traits too? The Servitor thought twice before speaking. "A... Change?"

"Yes. Since them, I find myself frequently looking back on the past."

"Hmm." Geetz understood what she meant. Previously, he would probably have considered it to be a program error like she was doing. After those parties on Elysium though, he knew better. He didn't understand what the purpose of implementing those "features" was, but he suspected that there was more to the Units than they realized. Geetz carefully considered what to say. "That has also been happening to me recently... However, I do not believe it to be a program change."

"What do you believe it to be, then?"

"Only part of our natural learning process." He answered. "We make our decisions based on previous experiences. We were imprisoned and suddenly forced into an unfamiliar environment. The current situation makes us look back on the past, in search of something familiar we can relate to. I believe it to be perfectly normal."

It made sense, and she could easily have figured it out herself if she were in a better state of mind. Still, it didn't explain why she was able to keep thinking about Trigger without enemy alert alarms going off in her head. He was an Irregular, the one who took the Master away from her. He had been terminated. Sera was free from him like she had always wanted. She should have forgotten about him. Why was that so hard?

Geetz silently observed as a mixture of undefinable things showed in his mistress' face. She seemed troubled and insecure, like he had never seen before. That scared him a bit. Geetz was built to serve and protect Mistress Sera. He had thought he was prepared for anything. Apparently, he was wrong. It was the first time that something like that happened, and he had no idea of what to do. How could he help her? He wanted to hug her, to comfort her, but he couldn't. On the rare occasions that he touched her, like when he carried her to make the Carbons think she was weak, it was part of their plan, it was related to their mission, and he had her consent. However, in their current situation, he didn't. It had nothing to do with their work. He couldn't simply go there and hug her out of the blue...

"You get worried when something happens to her." Geetz remembered Rock's words. "... I know you do, and I don't think it's just because she's your superior. It's because she's someone you care about."

"What is it?" Sera noticed he was still staring.

"Ah!" He gasped. "M-Mistress Sera, you seem troubled..." He quickly added, in an attempt to justify himself. "I w-was just worried that it could interfere in our work..."

Yes, their work. Sera breathed deeply. A bit of determination came back to her eyes. She couldn't keep getting distracted by small problems! Trigger was in the past. She still had a mission to complete. She was a Mother Unit, charged with the responsibility of running the System and ensuring that the Master's ideals would come true. Even now that the Master was no longer there, Sera would prove that she was his most loyal servant. She would be with the System until the end. No way that she would become an irregular!

"Everything is progressing smoothly. There is no need to worry." She spoke coldly, completely unaware of what was going on in her Servitor's head.

"Y-yes." Geetz slowly went over to a chair and sat down, and resisted the urge to approach his mistress and envelop her in an embrace.

* * *

"Mister Bluecher, please!" Roll bowed slightly.

"You saw it." Rock added. "They behaved at the party too, didn't they?"

"Hmm..." Bluecher sighed heavily, thinking hard. "I'll give it some thought. Now I have a few other matters to attend to. Please, could you wait outside for a bit?"

"Yes sir," both teenagers said in unison.

"Thank you for your time." Roll added before following Rock out of Bluecher's office.

Bluecher spoke when he was alone with his friend. "Barrell, what do you think?"

The retired Digger also sighed. "I still hope they don't mean harm and you're just being paranoid monitoring them like that. If they were to do anything, it'll probably be after all the keys have been collected." Barrell paused and gave a faint smile. "Besides, I don't remember when the last time I saw Rock and Roll so excited about hanging around with new friends was."

Bluecher considered it for a moment, then sat down at his desk and began examining papers about his business.

* * *

A few hours later, a guard came to the "ancients'" room bringing lunch. As always, Sera and Geetz ate silently, lost in their own thoughts.

Sera had always liked silence, but she found that quietness unnerving for some reason. Soon she was recalling the Elysium times again.

X:X:X:X:X

Sera and Geetz arrived at the cafeteria, where they were supplied with meals. They approached the machine that identified everyone in the cafeteria's computers. Each person was given a "calibrated" meal according to the nutrients their profile listed as necessary, and everyone had the right to get only one serving, so as not to throw the amount of nutrients they were consuming out of balance. The Mother Unit had her hand scanned by the machine. The device emitted a few clicks and produced a card displaying a picture and the specifications of the meal. She took her card, waited for Geetz to do the same, then went deeper inside.

"Gah! This soup again!" Trigger grimaced while glancing at the Master's lunch card.

Sera gritted her teeth. Out of all times to go to the cafeteria, why did she have to arrive right when Trigger was there? Well, at least the Master was there too. "Quit complaining, Trigger."

"It is made with exactly the required amount of nutrients," Geetz said while the Master inserted his card into a device resembling a vending machine.

"If you do not want to eat it, then go find another means to recharge energy and stop disturbing us." Sera added.

"Okay, I prefer using those red energy refill crystals anyway..." The Purifier didn't give up, though. "But I keep wondering. Poor Master, having to eat things like this every day..."

"It is fine. Don't worry, Trigger." The Master gave a tired sigh while receiving a sealed bowl containing his lunch. "It is this food that has been keeping me alive for all these years." His tone was comforting, but his expression was sad.

"Yes. It is all for his own good. Your worries are unfounded." Sera glared at the Purifier while she got past him to use the machine herself.

"They're perfectly founded! Remember the mission on Terra last week? I saved a man from one of those Reaverbots that were attacking the city. He wanted to thank me, I said it was nothing, but he insisted. He gave me a sandwich and said that it was all that he could give me. I was low on energy after all the fighting, so I accepted. I ate the sandwich. Oh and it was delicious! Ah, I feel so stupid now. If only I'd known how great it was... I shouldn't have eaten it! I should've saved it to give it to the Master. I think he'd love it..."

Sera didn't like to hear that. Not even a bit. Trigger had disobeyed a rule once again. He wasn't supposed to come in contact with Carbons. But she didn't want to start an argument and have their lunch ruined, in front of the Master no less. "We need to talk later, Trigger. I will be awaiting you in my room after lunch."

Trigger nodded. "Okay. I think I already know what it's about."

"Good." Sera retrieved her lunch from the machine.

With their soup bowls in hand, Sera and Geetz began following the Master to the table area. To Sera's annoyance, Trigger also inserted his card into the machine, got his bowl of artificial soup and made to follow them.

"I thought you would not eat it." Sera said irritably.

"Yeah, me too. But then I thought again and decided to get it, so I could keep you company. It'll be more fun if we eat together!"

"Geetz and I will be eating outside. Please excuse us." Sera decided for them both.

She turned abruptly and left, with a reluctant Geetz trailing behind. She still could hear Trigger saying, "Then Master, I'll go with you so you don't need to bear eating this thing alone."

X:X:X:X:X

Sera came back to the present, to that dull room where she was being forced to stay. Everything was silent, except for the clattering of their silverware on the plates.

"Mistress Sera?" Geetz turned his head to her when he heard a sigh coming from her.

Was it her impression, or was her Servitor also directing that look of worry towards her? She took a while to respond. "I was just thinking... That the Master would have liked to eat this food."

"Indeed." Geetz had a distant look for a moment.

Not just the Master. If Trigger were there, he wouldn't stop commenting on how awesome it was. Sera disliked when he talked nonstop, but then, at least the room wouldn't be that silent.

* * *

A newspaper was on Bluecher's desk, with the news about the destruction of Glyde's base on Calbania island.

"Rock, you were the one who destroyed that base on Calbania Island, weren't you? Great job." Bluecher complimented. "I'm more impressed with your skills each day."

"No, I didn't do anything." Rock shook his head. "The enemies did. I only escaped." He talked as if that were the most trivial of things. "I don't understand how that pirate... Glyde, still trusts those Birdbots. They pressed the self-destruct button and took out their own base! One doesn't need enemies with allies like those... Huh?" Rock found it strange to see Bluecher with his mouth agape. "What?"

"You... Escaped a base set to self-destruct!?" The man said incredulously.

"Yeah?" Rock gave a confused look.

"That was even more dangerous!" Bluecher was still stunned.

"I ran out as fast as I could. There was still plenty of time before the bomb went off." He talked like it was no big deal. "I still had around one minute and a half, I think. When the bomb went off, I was already on the other side of the town. I hope no one was near the base when it exploded..."

That story was hard to believe. It seemed as though Rock was inventing all of it just to boast about his abilities. However, Bluecher knew that it wasn't the case. The base in Calbania was no more, the keys were there, and Rock was serious.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! You never cease to amaze me." Bluecher laughed loudly and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's to be expected, right, After all, you were the one who explored Forbidden Island alone, and cleared those special ruins to get the keys. I trust your abilities. So... I authorize you to do that thing you asked."

"Huh...?" It took a while for Rock to register what Bluecher was talking about. "Oh...! Really!?" The boy's eyes lit up. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" He bowed.

"Yes!" Roll stood up from where she was talking to Gramps and hopped towards Rock. She smiled as they high fived each other. "Let's go tell them!"

Rock nodded and they left Bluecher's office.

* * *

Sera shuffled on the bed uncomfortably. She was tired of staring at those walls. But if she closed her eyes, she would be haunted by images from the past.

A knock was heard.

"May I?" Geetz asked for his mistress' permission.

"Yes." She answered without looking at him.

When Geetz opened the door, he was greeted by two smiling teenagers.

"Geetz! Sera!" Rock spoke. "Guess what?"

"Mister Bluecher gave us permission to take you to visit other places!" Roll told the news. "We were thinking that we could take you to see one of the nearby islands. What do you say?"

Geetz hadn't thought that they would be really able to convince Bluecher. He looked at his mistress.

Was Sera hearing things right? An opportunity to leave that room? Not that she expected to find anything too interesting, but at least it would provide a welcome distraction. She signaled to Geetz, confirming that she agreed.

"Great!" Roll looked very happy. "How about tomorrow morning? Right after breakfast, we'll drop by and you come with us."

"That sounds acceptable." Surprisingly, Sera spoke instead of leaving everything up to Geetz.

Roll kept speaking of her plans aloud. "Ah, then we can show you the Flutter, also some of our equipment... And I can bake more cookies! Yeah! That's right! Rock, we need to buy more ingredients for the cookies! Let's go right now! Come on!" Roll left the room, with a bounce in her step.

"And you say that I'm the one who needs to slow down..." Rock turned to the "ancients" with a smile in his face. "Ah. She hasn't been this excited in a long while."

"Rock! Come on!" Roll shouted from the corridor.

"I'm coming, Roll!" He nodded to the "ancients" and also left.

Once more, Geetz and Sera were left with the silence. For a while, they stared at the space previously occupied by the teenagers.

Sera couldn't comprehend. What was that just now? Why did they seem so... Happy? The Carbons' behaviors were supposed to be just simulations. However, what she just saw didn't look artificial. Why was that? No matter how much she turned it around in her head, she couldn't understand. If only the Master would have shown such a reaction, at least once... Would it have looked anything like that? Unfortunately, there was no way to know. The past couldn't be changed. The Master wasn't there and would never come back. Sera gave up. She tried to think about something else. As expected, silence. That quietness was already getting irritating. She sighed. It would be one more boring afternoon and night until they would be able to leave that ship. Sera closed her eyes, once again hoping to sleep to pass the time.

* * *

A/n: it's strange how in the game, no matter how much time is left when you escape from Glyde's base, it shows everything exploding as if you had gotten out at the last moment.


	5. The Irregulars

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 5: The Irregulars

X:X:X:X:X

X:X:X

Hidden file detected... ... ... Configuration file "MASTER FILE 02" found. Encrypted file. Decrypting... ... ... Analyzing... ... ...

MASTER FILE 02

X:X:X

It was the same as in the dream from the other day. There was the darkness, then the Master's voice began speaking.

"I was shocked. I was now alone, literally the last human on the planet. However, instead of mourning for the rest of my life, I figured I had to do something, to not let our sacrifices be in vain. From the positive side, I noticed I had Elysium all to myself, and I could do with it as I pleased. Thus I decided to turn it into the perfect world I always dreamed of, free from hardships and suffering. I knew that it would be a lot of work, especially since I no longer had my friends to help me. I built some Units to assist me. They were able to go to Terra and back and brought my friends' genetic codes, which were stored in Elysium's library. Despite having the colony all to myself, I still felt I was responsible for humanity's future. My plan was to restore the original human race on Terra, using my friends' genetic codes to create new humans. However, after what happened, I didn't want to risk the new humans dying due to Terra's environmental differences, so I created artificial humanoid lifeforms, the 'betas,' also called 'Carbons.' Those would act as placeholders and prepare Terra's environment for the new humanity. I told my assistant Units that, in the event that I - the last human - died, they were to join my genetic code with the other humans' DNA in the library, then run the 'Humanity Restoration Program' - also known as the 'Carbon Reinitialization Program' -, that would wipe all the Carbons on Terra and use our DNA to restore the original human race."

END OF FILE

X:X:X:X:X

Rock found himself back on his bed.

_It was him... Again..._ He thought in his half-awake state. "Mas-ter? Human... Restoration...?" He mumbled. He slowly opened his eyes to glance at the clock, then he remembered that it was the day they would take Sera and Geetz to visit an island. Suddenly he got very excited and was unable to sleep anymore. He began thinking about the plans for that day, and like the other time, the dream was forgotten.

* * *

Rock was not the only one dreaming about the Master that night. Sera was, too. In her dream, Trigger did something stupid, and like always, he was praised by the Master. Then, she tried to set an example and followed the rules as closely and carefully as possible, but the Master looked at her with disapproval, sighed sadly and walked away. Why did it always have to be like that?

When Sera woke up, it was six in the morning, and Geetz was still asleep. Her attempts at going back to sleep failed, so the only solution was to wait.

It was nearly seven when Geetz awoke. "Good morning, Mistress Sera." He greeted when he noticed that Sera was awake.

She only sighed and didn't answer his greeting. Not that she usually did, but the Servitor noticed that she still wasn't well. How he wished he could do something to help her.

Half an hour later, Rock appeared.

"Good morning!" Rock greeted when Geetz opened the door for him. "Yeah, I know we agreed to go after we had breakfast, but... I asked the guards and they said you're usually awake at this hour, so I decided to come here. Sorry for being so early. The truth is, I couldn't sleep, hahaha!"

"Me neither..." Sera said tiredly.

"Oh. It's so annoying, isn't it? When you know that you need to rest, but you keep tossing and turning, time passes and sleep doesn't come! On the bright side... At least I don't need to worry thinking that I'm interrupting your sleep again!" Rock changed the subject. "About breakfast. Roll is preparing it. You could have breakfast with us! It'll be more fun if we eat together!"

Something was familiar about that statement.

Rock waited for Geetz to help Sera up. "Shall we go, then?"

* * *

On the way to the Flutter, Geetz kept sparing worried glances at Sera, though she couldn't see it because he was behind her. When they arrived at their destination, he carried her up the stairs, and used that as an excuse to finally hug her.

"Here we are!" Rock announced when they were inside. "This is the Flutter, our home."

"Rock, welcome back!" Roll appeared from the kitchen. She turned to the "ancients" and signaled for them to enter. "Hi! Sorry, I didn't have time to bake the cookies yet. Actually, I'm still making them... For now you'll have to make do with those sandwiches... And coffee." She pointed at a plate of sandwiches and a full coffee pot on the table.

Sera glanced at the pot. There was so much coffee that it would be much more than enough for all of them. Trigger would have gone nuts if he'd seen that...

"Um, Roll, I think you made... A bit too much..." Rock commented.

Roll fidgeted. "Err, sorry. Hahahaha! It's rare for us to have visitors, so I wasn't sure about how much to make. And Sera, I heard that you like coffee..."

That caught the Mother Unit off guard. "Ah... W-well..." She seemed a little embarrassed.

Rock saw Data trip over his own feet as he scrambled past the living room door. "I'll be right back." He walked away and left Roll keeping the visitors company. "Data, what happened?"

"Ah!" Data quickly jumped to his feet. "R-Rock! W-w-wh-what are th-those two doing here!?" The little monkey looked frightened. He was shaking slightly and had his eyes wide open.

"We're just taking them to visit a town. They've only been to Forbidden Island and Mister Bluecher's ship, so we thought seeing other places would be good for them." However, that explanation didn't manage to calm Data down. "Hey, what's the problem? It's okay. They won't do anything bad."

Data gulped. "Rock... You trust people too much."

"You distrust them too much. Come on."

"Ahaa! Wha-what are you doing! ?" Data was suddenly lifted from the ground.

"I'm going to introduce you to them."

Color drained from the little monkey's face.

"Hey, relax. It'll be okay." Rock patted the robot on the head.

Data realized that there was no escape and decided to try to do as instructed. It would be even more suspicious if he freaked out in front of them. Chances were that they wouldn't draw connections to Trigger if he kept calm. He just hoped that Rock wouldn't tell them that he was an external backup device.

"Geetz, Sera, this is Data, our little robot friend."

Geetz nodded. "Ah, yes. I saw him when I met Miss Roll in the Sulphur-Bottom."

Data's eye twitched. So the Servitor had indeed noticed him at that time.

"What is his function?" Geetz asked.

"Function?" Rock was confused.

"Robots are built to carry out specific tasks." The Servitor explained. "What was he built for?"

"Hmm." Roll closed her eyes in thought. "I've never stopped to think about that. We make him help us with the daily chores like everyone else... I never thought that he could have some special function." There was the fact that only Rock could understand what he said, but only she and Gramps knew about it. They hadn't told anyone about that.

"Do you know who built him?"

"No." Rock answered without a second thought.

Roll added. "He's been here since we were little, so we always took his presence for granted. Now that I think about it... We don't know anything about him, really. I only know that Gramps found him and brought him home."

That made Rock remember his talk with Gramps, his recent talk with Data, the events in Nino Ruins... And what happened on Kattelox.

"I'm your external memory storage device!" Data had said after the battle against Juno. "**You** created me to back up your memories and hide them from Mother Two! They're encrypted so they can't be scanned or altered."

That could only be a dream, because it didn't make any sense. How could he have created Data if he was just a baby when Gramps found them?

"Rock?" It was Roll. "What's wrong?"

"Ah!" Rock jumped. "I-it's nothing. I was just trying to remember if we had any hint about Data's function before, but..." He shook his head. "No, I don't think so..."

"Ah, I see..." A bit of disappointment showed in Geetz's voice.

Sera sighed. Why did Geetz have to get so curious whenever he saw a piece of technology? The Mother Unit opted to ignore that conversation and shifted her attention to the dough that Roll was shaping into cookies. The ridiculous thought of learning to make cookies for the Master still insisted on appearing in her mind.

"Rock, Data, could you help to set the table, please?"

"We're on it, Roll," Rock said, and they got to work. He noticed that Data was unusually quiet while carrying out the task.

Roll finished shaping the cookies and joined them. Everyone began eating. Data grabbed his sandwich and hid under the table.

"What's the problem, Data?" Roll found it strange.

He didn't answer. Rock did for him. "I think he isn't used to having visitors either."

Unlike in the room in the Sulphur-Bottom where they always ate in silence, in the Flutter, Sera and Geetz couldn't escape the talking. The teenagers talked a lot while eating, and made sure to include the Units in their conversation. It was Geetz who did most of the talking, but sometimes Rock or Roll would ask for Sera's opinion specifically and force her to speak. Subjects included mundane things she couldn't care less about, like which color of tablecloth Roll should buy next. "Why are you asking me?"

"I wanted someone else's opinion," Roll said. "And you're the only other woman around, so..."

"I have nothing to do with this." Sera hoped to end that talk with that answer. Most Units from Elysium wouldn't dare insist after she brushed them off. However, Sera had forgotten that Roll was no Elysian Unit. The girl didn't view her as an authority, and was unaware that Mother Units were ranked above Carbons. She probably didn't even know what a Carbon was...

"Aw Sera, come on." The girl insisted. "The next time you come visit us, we'll eat together again. Then, what color would you like the tablecloth to be?"

The Mother Unit sighed. At that moment, she completely forgot about her façade. She was ready to throw a rude comment and put that Carbon girl in her place. Before she could speak, though, the answer to Roll's question came from somewhere else.

"She likes light blue." It was Geetz. "It is the color she chose for the walls in her work area."

Light blue was like a clear sky on a fair weather day, something Sera imagined as being part of the future that the Master wanted to create. That was what it meant to her. However, to the Carbons, it was irrelevant. Revealing that bit of information to them was completely unnecessary.

"Geetz!" She looked accusingly at her servitor.

"Apologies. I did not find any indication that this should not be disclosed."

Roll spoke and shifted Sera's attention away from Geetz. "Alright! It's set. We'll buy a light blue tablecloth for the next time you come to visit! That's because we want you to feel at home! Right, Rock?"

"Yeah!" Rock, who had been silent during the whole tablecloth talk, agreed.

* * *

After breakfast, the "ancients" were given a small tour of the ship. Roll proudly explained the workings of the technological features she had implemented. Geetz was impressed by her creativity. That prompted her to explain with even more enthusiasm, really happy to have found someone that understood her technical ramblings.

"Very interesting." The servitor commented after Roll finished showing the weapons she had designed for Rock.

"Sadly, these are the only ones we have left..." She lowered her eyes. "We had a fire a few weeks ago, and we lost many essential things. Since we couldn't live without those and didn't have enough money to buy everything again, we had to sell most of Rock's equipment. How I wish I could show you the other weapons. I think you'd have liked to see them! ... Which reminds me. Rock!" She directed a stern look towards her adoptive brother. "You still didn't tell me how you managed to break the Shining Laser!"

Geetz was taken aback. One moment, Roll seemed gentle and harmless. The next, she seemed very angry and was giving an intense glare comparable to Mistress Sera's. Women were so unpredictable...

Rock gulped. "R-Roll, I'm sorry. I know you're still upset about that..."

"Of course I am!" She cut him off. "It was the best weapon I ever made. The materials were unique. It was so expensive to make... I spent nights building it... You have no idea how hard it was to make it. I told you so many times that you should be extra careful when handling it..."

"I-I have a good reason..." He stuttered.

"Then, explain yourself."

Rock looked around and tried to remind her that they weren't alone. "Um, can we leave this talk for-"

"No! You already dragged it long enough. Tell me, right now." Roll kept staring him hard and completely disregarded the two visitors.

Rock breathed deeply. "Okay, I'll say it. It was on Kattelox..."

That piqued Geetz's interest. The island's name was familiar. He knew something important was there, but it escaped his mind. What was it?

"It was after we got the three keys and I went to check out the Main Gate, remember?"

"The day when that strange thing appeared in the sky. Yeah, I remember." Roll answered. "The radio broke and I lost your signal. After you came back, you told me that you found a huge Refractor, but after you examined other rooms and came back, you saw the Bonnes taking it away."

"Yeah, that's it."

"Why didn't you stop them?! After we went to all that trouble to make sure the pirates wouldn't get the island's treasure..."

"When I got back to that room, I was very tired and couldn't fight anymore. At that point, the Refractor was the least of my worries. Besides, the Bonnes had just saved my life. They deserved to keep the treasure."

"Wait, the Bonnes... Saved your life? What are you talking about? What happened?!"

Rock sighed. "You see... The problem came when I was checking out the other rooms, not after that. And it wasn't because of the Bonnes..."

"Then, what was it?" Roll's anger slowly melted away into concern. What was it that Rock had been hiding from her this whole time?

"When I entered one of the rooms, I ran into this weird guy called Juno..."

It finally clicked in Geetz's head. Kattelox was the island assigned to the last Bureaucratic Unit remaining. "You met Rockman Juno!?" The Servitor exclaimed, which reminded the teenagers of their presence.

"Do you know him?!" Rock's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes. He once used to be part of the same organization as us." Geetz was curious. The Bureaucratic Unit's chamber was guarded by many security mechanisms. The fact that Rock managed to reach it was impressive. "When did that event take place?"

"Last year." Rock answered.

"Hmm. What did he say?" Geetz guessed that it had been a friendly conversation. Juno was usually polite and friendly, and had no reason to attack unless his mission was disturbed. Rock meeting him was an accident, and according to Geetz's date calculations, it was still 32 years until the island had to be reinitialized again, meaning, no mission to be disturbed at the moment. He forgot that Rock was supposedly talking about something negative, and failed to make the connection between that meeting and the laser weapon that Roll was so worked up about.

Rock's expression became unreadable for a few seconds. "He said... A lot of complicated stuff. The only thing I understood was that since he was awake, he'd erase everyone from the island!"

Roll covered her mouth.

"What?!" Geetz was also shocked. It was still early to reinitialize the island. What was Juno thinking?

"He asked me... If I would... Cooperate..." Rock carefully avoided any mention of Trigger. "Of course, I refused. Then, he put me into an electrical trap and left. That was when the Bonnes came and stopped the trap." He continued after getting a nod from Roll. "I went after him. When I found him again, he had called that thing in the sky that would erase the people from the island... Eden, I think that's what he called it."

Roll was shocked. She would never have guessed that the thing in the sky had such a purpose.

Rock went on. "He said he wouldn't let me interfere... That he'd exert his authority or something like that, and would... Terminate me."

Geetz didn't see that coming. But again, none of them had qualms about terminating random Carbons.

"We fought. He moved fast. I had trouble dodging his attacks. I was lucky to have the Shining Laser, because it was really powerful and helped to end the fight quicker. If it weren't for that, I don't know if I'd have been able to keep up."

Geetz was having a hard time believing it. Juno wasn't what they would call the strongest, but he wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly. It was impressive that Rock was able to defeat him, though the Servitor wasn't sure how much of that outcome should have been attributed to the boy's skill and how much of it should have been attributed to Roll's weapon. What he really didn't see coming, though, was what Rock said next.

"I thought I had defeated him. But it wasn't over yet. He said that it'd been a long time since he had so much fun, and that although he was a Third Class... Something... And not specialized in combat, he'd give his best to defeat me. Then, he summoned a big robotic body and fused with it. He turned into a big robot thing, much stronger and much more violent."

Geetz didn't know what to say. That description didn't sound like Juno at all. And what was that about that fusion thing? Did Juno use the power of the island's control computers to make a new combat body for himself? That was an unauthorized modification. In fact, Geetz had never expected that Juno could even do something like that. A bad feeling nagged in the back of his mind. Now that he thought about it, he remembered seeing the Bureaucratic Unit exhibit odd behavior a few times.

X:X:X:X:X

The mission was successful. Geetz and Juno had come to Terra and assisted Trigger in hunting a group of three Bureaucratic Units that had gone Irregular. The Units were found and terminated. Geetz, Trigger and Juno reported back to Mistress Yuna. Trigger had broken a rule, but she did as little as scold him lightly. A bit later, both were still talking while Geetz and Juno waited.

"I do not comprehend." Juno began. "We do the best in our power to fulfill our duties. On the other hand, Master Trigger does not appear to be putting much effort into fulfilling his. He goes as far as to infringe rules and disobey orders, yet both Mother One and the Master hold him in such high regard. Do you not find it unusual?"

"Hm?" What was really strange was to have Juno raising that kind of subject. He only talked about technical matters, and until that moment, he had never shown anything remotely resembling emotion like the other Units did, except for his usual smile.

Before the Servitor could formulate an answer, Trigger came back.

* * *

They were silent on the way back to Elysium. Surprisingly, that included Trigger, and it bothered Geetz a bit.

The shuttle landed on Elysium, and its occupants disembarked. A heavy sigh from Trigger got the others' attention.

"Master Trigger?" Geetz called in concern. It was rare to see the Purifier so troubled.

"How long will we be forced to take our own allies' lives like this?" Trigger asked no one in particular.

"We have no choice." Geetz answered. "As long as Units keep becoming Irregulars, it will need to be done."

"That is the sole purpose for Purifier Units to exist. You are not forgetting that, are you?" Juno added. "Allow me to give a small bit of advice. You should be more careful. If you keep hesitating as such, you might be viewed as unfit to continue being part of the Purifiers. You will no longer be useful to the System, and might be retired."

That wasn't normal. Juno wasn't usually that harsh, much less towards a superior. But Trigger's expression didn't change. The Purifier slowly nodded, sighed once more and walked away. Geetz was contemplating if he should follow Trigger and try to talk to him, when Juno spoke again.

"Just do what must be done. It is that simple. Even though combat is not my specialty, I can take measures in case of an emergency. I will not hesitate in terminating other Units, **no matter who it might be**." In a rare display, Juno's left eye opened and glared menacingly at Trigger's fleeting form. "And if it ever comes to that, I will not hold back."

X:X:X:X:X

Geetz found it strange at first, but didn't think much of it. Could that mean that Juno had shown Irregular tendencies since that time and no one had noticed it? The Servitor decided to focus his attention back on Rock, who was still continuing his tale.

"That hit was really painful." Rock was scared while speaking, as though he were reliving those moments again. "My vision blurred and everything was spinning, but my mind screamed to move, because I didn't know if I'd be able to stand again if I took another hit. I was moving by instinct alone and I don't know how I managed to avoid his attacks. I couldn't think straight. The only thing in my head was that I couldn't allow myself to lose. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I failed there. Juno would kill everyone on the island. The mayor, the police, the junk store owner, the people from the town, and even the Bonnes... Everyone... And probably you and Gramps too, since you were there. If it had happened, it would have been my fault, because I was the one who awoke Juno. I couldn't let that happen. So, I did the first thing that crossed my mind. I pushed the Shining Laser to the limit. The impact was so strong that I was sent flying backward, the weapon detached from my arm and exploded in Juno's face. The explosion destroyed more than half of the room. He caught the brunt of the attack and stopped moving, then his robotic body exploded, then his head followed, and... The Eden computer thing started talking. It said the island would be reinitialized in 100 seconds, and I didn't know what to do, and, and..." Fear showed in Rock's eyes when he got to that part.

Hidden in a corner, Data tensed. He hoped that Rock wouldn't tell them that he was the one to stop the command.

Rock frantically shook his head and breathed deeply a few times in an attempt to calm down. "I... I didn't really understand what happened. It looked like the command was canceled and the Eden thing went away. I was so tired, so scared, so confused with those things happening all at once... I don't know if I passed out or not. I only know that when I came to my senses, Data was with me, then you and Gramps contacted me by radio. Then on my way back, I saw the Bonnes in the distance, leaving with the big Refractor. And that's what happened."

Data released his breath, relieved that Rock didn't mention anything.

"Rock..." Roll was worried after seeing him so scared. "You had all these things bottled up this whole time... Why didn't you tell me? Why were you bearing all of it alone? It concerned all of us!"

"Sorry. I didn't want you to worry more than you already did. And everything happened so fast... I didn't know how I'd explain it. Actually, I don't really know what to make of it even now... Since that day, I asked myself countless times if the computer talk after the battle was a dream or if it was real... Other times I even doubted that the whole battle had really happened... But the proof, at least for the battle part, is that the Shining Laser is gone."

Roll gently hugged him. "Rock... I'm sorry for getting angry at you. I don't know what's gotten into me. I should have known that you were doing what you thought was the best for us. You saved our lives. Thank you, Rock."

"No. It was your weapon. It was the Shining Laser that saved everyone, Roll. I wouldn't have won without it."

While the siblings had their touching moment, Geetz whispered to Sera and asked for her input. After a while, he addressed Rock and made them break the hug. "Mister Rock. Regarding Rockman Juno. The behavior you just described was anything but normal. He broke various rules. Also, that combat robot armor you spoke of was an unauthorized modification. Those were clear signs that he was becoming an Irregular."

"An... Irregular?" Rock repeated.

"Yes." Sera was the one to answer. "This is the term to describe those who go against the established rules and disrupt our society's balance. Once, we had combat Units especially designed to eliminate Irregulars. The Purifier Units, also known as 'Irregular Hunters.' However, now they are all gone."

"Purifier Units... Irregular Hunters..." Rock mumbled. Where had he heard those terms before?

Geetz spoke. "As such, we no longer have enough resources to terminate them." He bowed. "Mister Rock, Miss Roll, we sincerely thank you for your assistance in eliminating this Irregular threat."

Everyone was silent for a while, until Roll spoke. "Shall we go, then? I'll just put the cookies in the oven, then let's head to the engine room." She walked out of the development room, with Rock slowly following her.

"I am curious about the extent of that boy's fighting skills." Sera commented when she and Geetz were alone.

"From his reaction to the possibility of reinitializing that island, there is no doubt that he will oppose us if he finds out what we are here for." Geetz said in a low voice. "Should we be worrying?"

"I still do not know. Juno had not proven to be that strong. However, I have never heard of a Bureaucratic Unit doing a shell modification like the one described, and have no way to assess his strength in such condition. On the other hand, the boy seemed to rely too much on his special weapon. Since he no longer has it, he should not pose a problem. This is just in theory, however. If an opportunity presents itself, I wish to see him in action."

"Yes." The Servitor nodded. He closed his eyes and sighed. Those were really nice people. If it came to a fight, would he be able to oppose Rock without a second thought? Would he be able to help in erasing all those Carbons without hesitation? He tried to push those thoughts away. Restoration of the true humans was more important. Like Juno had said, he should just do what had to be done. It was that simple... Or was it? The Carbons were fascinating. The more he interacted with them, more he thought that deleting them felt like a waste.

"Hey, Geetz, Sera!" Roll called. "What are you still doing there? Come on! We'll be taking off shortly."

* * *

A few minutes later, they were in the air. Sera sighed after seeing her Servitor lost in his world of technical terms, as he and Roll eagerly talked about the ship's aerodynamics. The Mother Unit slowly excused herself from the engine room and let them be.

"... Um..." Rock approached. "He really likes this kind of stuff, doesn't he?"

Sera nodded.

"Does he always get this enthusiastic about technology?"

"Yes."

There was a considerable pause before he continued talking. "Roll too... She always tells me about her discoveries, or the inner workings of what she makes, but I can't follow her descriptions... She gets that glint in her eyes, and talks with so much enthusiasm... I even feel sorry for her, because I don't understand any of it and can't take part in her joy. Glad that she found someone that can."

Sera didn't comment, and Rock didn't continue the talk like usual. He seemed calmer, although it was evident that something still bothered him. He had been mostly silent after the talk about Juno, and now it looked as though it was taking him a huge effort to come up with a subject for conversation. Since Sera had met him just one week ago, she couldn't claim to know him well. However, she viewed his behavior as unusual for some reason.

"It's not just Roll's jargon." He began suddenly. "I know that there's a reason behind everything. But there're so many things I don't understand... Many things have small details that we don't even notice. What if those details carry an important meaning? What if we're following the wrong path? I mean, we've been doing what we were told to, or what we think we should, but sometimes we don't really know what we're doing." A pause. "For example, I killed Juno. I did it without even understanding half of what he was talking about! What if it was important? What if it was all a big misunderstanding and there was a better way to solve things? It's at times like these that I wonder if I'm doing the right thing."

"Your description left no room for doubt. Juno was acting completely outside of his parameters. He had become an Irregular. Irregulars are out of their mind and only cause problems. They must be eliminated no matter what."

"But..."

She cut him off. "Stop thinking about unnecessary details. Like I already told you, just focus on what you have to do and nothing else. In other words, just concentrate on getting the keys. That is all that you should be worrying about."

He was quiet for a while. Sera thought that the subject was over, but it wasn't.

"Sera... Have you ever seen anything interesting, then wanted to learn more about it? To understand how it works, what it is and what it isn't, why it's this way and not the other way?"

For her, such questions only served to take focus away from the matters at hand. It really bothered her when Trigger said he wanted to understand more about things and kept trying to help other Units with their work, instead of concentrating solely on his tasks. "We do not have the capacity, and probably not even the right to understand everything. The world is complex and mysterious. It goes beyond even the original humans' comprehension."

"The original... Humans?" Rock asked curiously.

Sera regretted having mentioned that term, because now he wanted to know about it too. At least it seemed to have taken him out of his dark mood. Something inside her told her to continue, and before she even realized it, she was already speaking. "It was another race, very different, and far superior to Geetz's and mine."

That only served to make him more curious. "Oh! Another civilization, even more different than yours? Gramps would be really interested to hear about it! It'd be amazing if some of those people were still around! Did you meet any of them?"

"Only the last one. Unfortunately, all of them, including him, are gone..." Sera lowered her eyes, and her voice took on an unusually sad tone.

Rock's excitement also dropped when he saw her expression. "... He was a very special person to you, wasn't he?" He saw her eyes widen in surprise that he had guessed right. "It's the first time I've seen you this sad."

"Of course he was special to me. He was the last of the original humans remaining. My duty was to serve him..."

"That's not what I meant. What I wanted to say is... That you must have liked him a lot."

"... He was a wise and gentle person, admired and respected by everyone. And I..." She clenched and unclenched her hands. "... It does not matter now. He is gone, and the past cannot be changed."

"Ah..." Understanding crossed Rock's eyes, and his expression worsened. "So, that's what you were referring to yesterday... Wasn't it?"

"Well..." Sera didn't know what to say next. She wasn't expecting his mood to darken so suddenly.

"I... I..." Rock seemed as lost for words as she was. He had a very pained face and looked almost as though he was going to cry. His mouth opened and closed a few times without producing any sound. "... ... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked..." He finally managed to say. He turned away and ran to his room.

Sera was at a loss. Why did he seem so affected? The Master's death wasn't supposed to have anything to do with him. And why did she feel so bad to see the boy like that? It wasn't normal. The only other times that she felt that way were when she saw the Master sad and couldn't do anything to help him. No matter how she thought about it, Rock's reaction couldn't be just a simulation, and neither could what she was feeling. Why was her program behaving that way? What was it that made her want him to get better? Sera looked up the System's rules to see if she found any suitable explanation. The keys. Yes, that should be it. She needed him to be in top condition to get the remaining keys for her, that was all. However, her attempts at conversation didn't have the desired effect. Just when she had thought he was getting back to normal, he suddenly dropped back into his distressed state, and seemed even worse than when their conversation started.

* * *

Rock closed the door to his room and threw himself into a sitting position on the bed. Why did that conversation bother him so much? "The original humans... The last one remaining..." He whispered. "Ah!" He gasped when snippets from his strange dreams began to surface.

"I am a human. Sadly though, I am the only one remaining... ... I was shocked. I was now alone, literally the last human on the planet..."

"The last human... He was the last human...?" Rock muttered. "Wait, so what does it mean? Why did I dream about him? Why did that talk sound so familiar? Does it mean that we had met before? But how? When? And why was he telling me all those things?"

"My plan was to restore the original human race on Terra..."

"Restore... The original humans...?" However, before the thought could sink in completely, Rock was unceremoniously interrupted by a violent shake from the Flutter. The dreams were thrown to the background once more and he immediately became alert. "Aaah! What's happening?!" He heard weapon noises coming from outside. "Oh no...!"

* * *

Small airships circled the Flutter in search of an opening to attack.

"I know these airships." Roll maneuvered and did her best to avoid the enemies. "These are just like Glyde's Birdbot ships that attacked Nino Island!"

"Does this ship have combat equipment?" Geetz asked.

"No, it doesn't." Roll answered, rather calmly for someone caught in the middle of an attack.

How could that be? She had developed so many weapons, and her ship had no combat equipment? "... Then what should we do?"

"Could someone call Rock, please?"

"I'm here!" Rock appeared in his digging armor. "Roll, what's happening?!"

"We're under attack! It's Glyde and his Birdbots! This time, it looks like they're after us specifically!"

"Alright, I'll deal with them." Rock equipped the Homing Missile and left for the roof.

Sera heard everything from the living room. Rock's troubled state still worried her. What if it hindered his ability to fight? She went to the engine room's door and discreetly signaled for her Servitor to come over. He did, and they disappeared into the living room to talk privately.

"Yes, Mistress Sera."

"Geetz, I want you to join him in this battle, in your current form. Borrow one of the Carbons' weapons and take part in the battle. I need you to observe how the boy fights."

"Yes, as you wish."

"Lastly..." She added in a grave tone. "I hope this does not happen. However, in the event of everything going horribly wrong... You are allowed to use your combat form."

"Understood." The Servitor nodded and went back to where Roll was. "Miss Roll, do you have a spare Buster weapon I could borrow? I wish to assist Mister Rock with the battle."

Roll hesitated. "You want to help? Are you sure? It can be dangerous..."

"As the one assigned to protect Mistress Sera, I am prepared to fight in case of emergency." Since the girl didn't say anything, he had to add something to persuade her. "Consider it a small token of appreciation for everything that you have been doing for us."

"Um, thanks." Roll finally relented and let him borrow one of Rock's spare Busters.

"Thank you." The Servitor bowed slightly and hurried to the Flutter's roof.

Sera came in and walked in slow steps towards the engine room's center.

Roll caught the worry in the Mother Unit's eyes. "Sera, it's okay. Everything will be alright." She seemed too calm despite the situation.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I believe in Rock," Roll said simply.

That argument didn't mean much to Sera. After everything that she had heard about him, she knew that he was skilled. But Roll hadn't seen the boy's disturbed state after their last conversation, had she?

Roll smiled reassuringly. "I know you've barely met, so I understand that you still don't trust him much. If you aren't going to have faith in him, them have faith in Geetz. He's very dedicated to you, and I'm sure he'll give his best to protect you."

* * *

Geetz arrived at his destination. "Mister Rock, I shall assist you."

"Really? Great!" Unlike Roll, the boy didn't object. In fact, he seemed happy to hear it. "Huh, what?" Rock heard a crackle from his radio, followed by Glyde's voice.

"Now, if it isn't the blue kid... I wasn't expecting to run into you here. But now that I have, I believe it's time for us to settle the score! You completely destroyed my base! Nearly all my possessions were there! I'll make you pay dearly for that! I'll destroy your ship and sell its remains to the junkyard!"

"It wasn't me!" Rock countered. "Blame it on **your Birdbots**! They were the ones who pressed the button without any consideration for the consequences!"

"Mister Rock, do not waste your time talking to the enemy!" Geetz urged, but the boy ignored him.

"Can't you see that they're causing you more harm than good? You should dismantle them and sell their remains to the junkyard..."

"Shut up! Birdbots, attack!"

Rock sighed. "So you'll insist on wasting resources..."

A shot from the Homing Missile exploded a Birdbot ship, and the explosion took two more out.

"You have good aim." Geetz commented.

"Well, it's a homing missile..." Rock stated the obvious.

"Even so. Three enemy ships with one shot."

"Hahaha. That was a bit lucky. But I hope this'll teach him something about saving up resources."

Another small ship approached and Geetz quickly dispatched it using the borrowed Buster. The weapon's quality and power weren't on par with Elysium's current standards, but the Buster was more powerful than Geetz had anticipated. It outright surpassed Elysium's weapons from the time when the first Carbons were created, which meant that the Carbons had indeed evolved during all that time.

"Hey, you fight well, too." It was Rock's turn to compliment Geetz. But the enemies weren't about to give them much time for chatting. "More are coming! Can you take care of the ones from this side?" He indicated the direction. "I'll deal with the ones coming from behind."

"Understood."

The borrowed Buster was interesting, but the enemies were... Disappointing, to say the least. Geetz and Rock easily knocked many Birdbot ships out of the sky.

"Strange... Hey Geetz, don't you think that they fell too fast?" Rock asked when the enemies stopped coming. "I'm sure that those ships were much sturdier the last time I fought them."

"Aaaaargggh!" The pirate shouted, seemingly unaware that his voice was still getting through Rock's radio. "Those cheaper ship parts really weren't enough...! What should I do now?!"

"How many more wasted resources will it take for you to realize that you're doing everything wrong?! How about you stop relying on those robots and try achieving things for yourself? Digging and getting money the right way, for example!"

"Grrrrrr! I don't like getting my hands dirty, but you leave me no choice! Feel the power of my Super Glyde Shot!"

A cannon activated on Glyde's ship and began concentrating energy. From the readings coming from it, Geetz could see that the enemy was serious this time. That weapon could pose a problem if they didn't act quickly.

Rock also seemed to have come to the same conclusion. "Quick! Let's aim at the cannon! We have to stop it from firing!"

They unleashed multiple shots at the big cannon as fast as they could, until it began sparking and exploded. They couldn't see the horror on the handsome pirate's face as his ship fell to the power of his own Super Glyde Shot. All they heard was a loud "boom" followed by a rather hilarious scream.

Despite the easy fight, Geetz was hit by a pang of nostalgia. That short battle reminded him of the times when he assisted Trigger in hunting Irregulars. "You did a good job, Mister Rock." He complimented. "It is safe to say that my assistance was not even required."

"Thanks. I'm always fighting alone, so it felt nice to have some backup for a change." Oddly, Rock seemed more glad to get Geetz's help than to receive a compliment. "I could fight more at ease knowing that I wouldn't need to manage the whole battlefield all by myself... Not that I'd neglect the other part of the battlefield, of course. At first, I was a bit worried. Mister Bluecher trusted me when he allowed me to take you and Sera on a trip, so it's my responsibility to ensure that both of you are safe. I was ready to help in case you needed anything, but you didn't. You proved to be quite good with a Buster!"

Geetz was surprised at Rock's thoughtfulness. The boy's expression certainly didn't show any of it.

Rock stared in the direction where Glyde's ship previously was. "I hope he had time to use an escape pod or something..."

"What are you saying?!" Geetz's eyes widened behind his glasses. "He is the enemy!"

"Yeah, I know. But..." Rock gave a pause. "In these times of energy shortage, everyone depends on the energy from the Refractors, and on Diggers to bring Refractors from the ruins. That's how it should be. But there's also another kind of people. They're the ones who want Refractors but don't want to become Diggers and choose to steal from others. They're the pirates. They go against our society's rules, something like what you'd call... 'Irregulars.'" Rock hesitated on the last word.

Irregular Carbons... Geetz had never thought about that before. The Carbons were meant to be mere placeholders that would prepare Terra for the true humanity's return. They should just carry out the simple tasks they were programmed for, fulfill their roles, and nothing more. However, if they were evolving like Geetz began to believe they were, that kind of thing was bound to happen.

"I ran into many of them during my digs." Rock went on. "For a long time, I just thought they were bad, and that was all. But last year... You know, on Kattelox. I met the Bonnes. There's something different about them. They steal like the other pirates do, but they usually don't attack anyone unless they're provoked. You know the Servbots, right? Robots like those three that are in the Sulphur-Bottom... Once, one of them even went to the police station and warned everyone to run away, because they had planted bombs in the city! Yeah, they basically turned themselves over... The Bonnes did some other things like that, and later, they helped me, as you already know. It's as though deep down, they don't want to do bad things, because they'd feel guilty later or something. They actually seem to be... Uh... Good people. Okay, I'm not saying that stealing or attacking places is right... Of course those are bad, and very wrong! The thing is, the Bonnes got me thinking. Why do people choose to become pirates? Maybe, some do because of immediate needs, others because they're lazy and think it's easier than digging, I don't know. Maybe some of them don't even know why they're pirates either, like if their ancestors were pirates, and they're just following in their footsteps and never realized that they could walk on another path. Many times we do things without knowing what we're doing or why."

"Quite a complex thought..." Geetz was still trying to absorb everything that Rock had said.

"Yeah, and it gets even more complicated... Sometimes I keep thinking... If things had happened differently, if we were exposed to the same situations as them, we could be the ones in their place. For example, if something had happened to Gramps and he weren't here to guide Roll and me... We could have become pirates ourselves. Not for being bad people, but for being misguided... And the opposite is also true. If the Bonnes or Glyde were in different conditions and had different opportunities, they could have become famous Diggers, for example. The point is, they're people like us, like everyone else. That's why I feel bad when I have to fight them. That's why I hope he's still alive. If he gets another chance, a different opportunity, there's still time to change."

"Mister Rock. You trust people too much." There was a hint of warning in Geetz's tone. "If he survives, do you really think that he is going to change? Not everyone thinks like you. Most likely, he will be seeking revenge."

"I know!" Rock raised his voice. When he realized that he had shouted, he breathed deeply and continued speaking, in a more controlled manner. "I know, but... If there's a chance for him or other pirates to change, they deserve to have it. I don't want to be the one taking this chance away from them. I don't feel I have the right to take anyone's lives. Neither do they. I know, they might kill many other people afterwards... Then it'll feel like it's my fault, because I could have saved all those people if I had killed the pirates... And that's the vicious circle that nearly drives me crazy every time I think about it!"

"Mister Rock..." Geetz wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. His thoughts were also going in a spiral. He was reminded of an event where he was with Trigger on an Irregular hunting mission.

"Why are you doing this?!" Trigger had asked one of their ex-comrades that had gone Irregular.

"Hmph! Even if I explain, none of you will understand!" The Irregular had answered.

"Master Trigger, stop wasting your time talking to the enemy!" Geetz had said himself. "Irregulars are the result of severe malfunctioning. Their words make no sense and their actions have no reason whatsoever."

Now, Geetz was starting to doubt his own words. Were Irregulars really just malfunctioning, or did they become like that by choice? Might a given situation have made them choose that path, like Rock had said? What if there was reasoning behind their actions?

"That's why I feel bad when I have to fight them. They're one of us." Rock's words replayed, and another image from the past appeared.

"Why does it have to be this way?" A very distressed Trigger had said. "Why do we need to keep fighting against ourselves like this, destroying our own people? I don't want this. I don't want anyone else to die... Why do Units go Irregular?"

"It is an unrepairable program malfunction," Was Sera's answer. "Whichever Unit that exhibits it must be eliminated without question or hesitation."

"... I get scared thinking that none of us are free from it, that **all** Units have a chance of going Irregular. All of you are special to me. So..." Trigger bowed. "Geetz and Mistress Sera. Please, please please pleeeaaase, don't ever go Irregular, because I don't want to fight any of you..."

Geetz opened his eyes, only to stare at Rock's face and almost jump in shock, because the boy's disturbed expression looked an awful lot like Trigger's.

"Rock, Rock!" Roll's voice came from Rock's radio and pulled the Servitor out of his thoughts. "Is everything alright up there?"

"... Yeah, don't worry." He forced a smile, even though the radio was sound only and Roll wouldn't be able to see it. "everything is fine. We were just talking a bit. We'll be back in a sec." He turned to face the Servitor again. "Geetz, let's go back inside."

"Yes." Geetz nodded and prepared to follow him.

"I don't feel I have the right to take anyone's lives." Rock's words still nagged in the back of Geetz's mind. _The right to take lives..._ Did they really have the right to erase all those Carbons? Geetz sighed before following Rock back inside the Flutter.

* * *

A/n: in the second game, Roll says that she sold all of Rock's equipment so she could buy the upgrades for the Flutter's engine...! But I view it more as sort of a game limitation excuse, some sort of explanation as to why all those hard earned weapons weren't carried over from the first game (they could have kept a few weapons, or given a few bonuses if a save from DASH/Legends 1 was found in the memory card, for example... However, they didn't...). Here, I changed it, and said that they had to sell everything so they could get money to restore the Flutter after the fire. :P

The part about Juno's second form being an unauthorized modification was inspired by a comment on Kobun #20's blog. It said that Juno was too strong for someone not specialized in combat... Or at least, Data said he wasn't specialized in combat. Then, there was the theory that Data wouldn't have known about the second form if Juno had disobeyed rules and created it behind everyone's backs (stealthy, creepy Juno :P).

Here in this story, despite his usually friendly mask, Juno was sort of envious of Trigger for being treated differently by their superiors. All those years later, he saw his chance meeting with Trigger (Rock) as the perfect opportunity to settle the score. It was also "convenient" that Trigger had lost his memory, because Juno would be able to use the Purifier's "malfunctioning" as an excuse to terminate him without being labeled as an Irregular.

In the Japanese version, Glyde's voice actor (Takehito Koyasu) is the same person who voices the Master! XD


	6. The Reaverbots

A/n: a big thanks to Dashe from Mega Man Legends Station for providing a lot of grammar fixes for all previous chapters, and also for drawing a picture of Trigger drinking Elysian coffee! This means that we now have the first ever depiction of this fic's Trigger! :D The image can be viewed by going to the address below (remove spaces and replace "dot" with "."):

goo dot gl / cFZ23K

To other people looking for more Legends fics, I suggest checking out her fan fiction! It's about Teisel, and it's amazing. And he likes coffee, too! :D

goo dot gl / jYPpAv

Now, let's also grab our coffee and go on to chapter 6!

* * *

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 6: The Reaverbots

After that lengthy discussion about pirates and Irregulars, Rock and Geetz finally made their way back to the Flutter's engine room.

"Are you both alright?" Was the first thing that Roll said upon seeing them. "I hope you didn't get hurt."

"We're fine." Rock answered. "What about the Flutter?"

"It only got a few more scratches. All is well, thanks to both of you." She turned to Sera. "See? I told you that everything would be okay."

Sera felt very stupid. So much worry for nothing.

"We had to fly around while trying to avoid them. It made us stray from our route quite a bit..." Roll paused. "Rock, can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"I need to go to the kitchen and check on the cookies. Could you pilot the Flutter for a bit, please?"

"W-What?!" Rock's eyes widened and he vehemently shook his head. He really wasn't up for piloting. He always felt uneasy when he had to do that. "No, Roll, it's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"You know that my piloting skills are horrible!"

"And they'll never improve if you don't practice more!" She countered.

"Hmmmm..." Rock shut his eyes tightly.

"Oh, come on." Roll began steering the wheel with only one hand and used the other one to take Rock's hand. "This shouldn't be the attitude of the person collecting the keys to the Mother Lode!"

"B-but..."

"Rock, please. Just for one minute." She forced his hand onto the steering wheel and ran to the kitchen. She wasn't going to let him waste any more time arguing.

"Ah! Roll!" He threw a betrayed look in the direction where she had disappeared. "Th-then, don't say I didn't w-warn you! Aaah! Aaah! Aaaaah!" Rock seemed very nervous as he tried to steady the Flutter.

Sera was incredulous. It was really hard to believe that he was the one getting her the keys, or that he had been responsible for terminating Juno.

"Mister Rock, please calm down."

"Aaaah...!" Rock froze when he heard Geetz's voice.

"Okay, alright..." He remembered himself saying. "Just a bit more, just a bit more... We're almost there..."

"Stop, Master Trigger!" A familiar voice boomed from behind. "Stop the shuttle and surrender! Please, do not complicate matters further..."

"Aah!" Rock suddenly jumped and came back to his senses. He desperately looked behind as if sensing that they were being followed.

"Mister Rock, you should probably look ahead when piloti-" Geetz briefly looked in the direction Rock was indicating. He stopped midsentence when his "third eye" detected a massive Reaverbot-like signal in the distance. There was no mistaking it. That signal was another Servitor Unit. _Gatts! Is he following us?_ He approached the shaky pilot. "Mister Rock, please allow me to lend my assistance."

"Um... W-would you? ... Thanks." Rock gladly conceded control of the ship to Geetz. He just hoped that Roll wouldn't get angry if someone else handled her controls.

"The cookies are ready! Now we just need to wait for them to cool off a bit..." Roll came back and saw Geetz piloting. "Wow! Geetz, you pilot really well!"

Geetz was enjoying the controls' responsiveness. His ability to assimilate with machines allowed him to quickly get acquainted with the Flutter's inner workings. "Thank you. This ship's responsiveness is really good. The controls are very well calibrated."

"Do you think so?" Roll was very proud of herself. "I was the one who calibrated them!"

"You did an excellent job, Miss Roll."

"Hahahaha, thanks." All of these compliments were starting to embarrass her.

Rock released the breath he had been holding. He was relieved that Roll didn't get angry at having someone else handling her machines.

"Miss Roll, may I increase the speed by a little?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Geetz did so. The signal behind them also increased its speed to keep up. That confirmed his suspicion. Gatts was indeed following them. Geetz ran a few more tests and observed for a while. Since Gatts didn't seem to have the intention of attacking them, Geetz relaxed and brought the Flutter back to normal speed.

"It feels great, doesn't it?" Roll said with that glint in her eyes, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Yes. This ship is a joy to pilot." He complimented again.

Roll smiled. "If you want, you can fly it for the rest of the trip."

"Thank you."

* * *

They arrived at their destination a few minutes later. It was a small island which didn't seem to have much of note besides a little town. They docked the Flutter next to the town's entrance. They decided to eat some cookies before leaving.

"These cookies are worth their weight in gold!" Roll commented. "So much happened while they were being made. They even 'survived' a pirate attack."

"And my piloting..." Rock added. "Hey! Wait, Roll, you could have asked me to check on the cookies instead of telling me to pilot!"

"Would you have known when to turn the stove off?"

"Hmm... I don't know. But it'd have been less dangerous! We have visitors, you know! We have to keep them safe!"

"Yeah, and that's why I asked you to pilot, because I knew that you'd give your best. You wouldn't have done it unless you had a very good reason." Roll smirked. "Like I said before, your piloting will never improve if you don't practice more!"

Rock sighed. "Okay, okay. You win. But next time you need someone to pilot, it's better to call Geetz, if he's around."

Roll turned to the Servitor. "Geetz, would you mind piloting for us again?"

"It would be my pleasure to help you."

"Great!" Rock was relieved that he wouldn't need to pilot if Geetz was with them.

"Thanks!" Roll nodded gratefully.

And the animated talk was over. Rock sighed and lowered his head. Despite trying to act cheerful, he wasn't back to normal yet. He still looked a bit troubled and didn't eat much.

* * *

They finished eating the cookies and prepared to leave for the town. Sera caught herself looking at Rock again. The way he was acting really bothered her. On that day alone, he had shown more expressions than the Master had shown in years. From the moment when Rock came to the Sulphur-Bottom until right after breakfast, he seemed energetic and cheerful. Just a few minutes later, his demeanor changed completely. He looked really scared while he narrated his encounter with Rockman Juno, and for some reason, he seemed very troubled when they talked about the Master. Then he acted extremely insecure when he tried to pilot the ship, and now he was backed into a corner with his head low and still seemed deep in thought. When Roll passed by her, the Mother Unit asked in a low voice. "Is he always this unstable?"

Sera's question came out of nowhere and caught Roll completely off guard. "Huh?" It was only after following the Mother Unit's gaze that she understood who Sera was talking about. "By 'he,' you mean Rock, right?" She got a slight nod in response. "No, not really. I guess it's because of that talk about Kattelox. He seemed a bit down when we came back from the Main Gate, but he didn't tell me anything. I'd have never guessed that he'd gone through that much. Now I see why he was holding that talk off for so long. He wasn't ready to talk about it yet. Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up..." Roll forced a smile. "But now that we've arrived at the island, we can have some fun and I bet that he'll be back to normal in no time! You have no idea how excited he was about going on a trip with you and Geetz. He even dragged me out of bed early! Hahahaha!"

Sera hoped that Roll was right and that she was just worrying too much... Again. Why was she worrying that much, anyway? She decided to concentrate on something else and walked back to the living room while Roll went to talk to Rock.

"Mistress Sera." Geetz followed her and spoke in a low voice. "While I was piloting, I detected Gatts following us. He kept flying behind us from a distance and showed no sign of intent to attack. Although I do not know what his intentions are, there is a likely chance that we will run into Mistress Yuna."

"Yuna..." Sera wondered what the other Mother Unit was up to, and why she still refused to give them the keys. But then, she remembered that there was something else that she wanted to discuss with Geetz. "I see. What about the boy's fighting skills? What did you observe?"

"I could see that he is a quick thinker and is conscious of his surroundings. However, the enemies were extremely weak. Apparently they were using cheaper equipment... Due to this, I am afraid to say that he didn't reach his full potential. All I can say for sure is that his level surpasses that of a Fourth Class Purifier Unit."

Sera nodded. "Very well. Whenever another opportunity arises, I want you to watch him again."

"Yes, Mistress Sera." He bowed, then spoke again. "If I may, there is one more thing I would like to report." Geetz continued after getting a nod from her. "It is in regard to the Carbons. All this technology, the weapons, the airships... These are way more advanced than what was available when the Carbons were first created. This could mean that... They are evolving."

"Evolving...?"

"Yes. Their society became very complex as well..." He paused. "Mistress Sera. I talked to Mister Rock after that enemy attack, and... From what he told me, the Carbons developed to the point that..." He paused again. "They can also become Irregulars."

"Carbons... Becoming Irregulars?" She had never thought that such a thing could be possible.

"And this is not all... It does not seem to happen due to malfunctioning. Apparently, they can transition in and out of the Irregular state... Of their own free will."

"What? No Unit can recover from the Irregular condition." Sera was incredulous. "Are you saying that the Carbons have developed to the point of surpassing us?"

"It is... Very likely. Do you authorize me to investigate?"

She was about to answer "no." None of that would matter after the Reinitialization. However, what Geetz said got her intrigued, and she hesitated.

Rock's words from earlier came back to her. "Sera... Have you ever seen anything interesting, then wanted to learn more about it? To understand how it works, what it is and what it isn't, why it's this way and not the other way?"

Before she even realized it, she had already said "yes."

"Understood." Geetz bowed again. "If it is possible, I wish to observe those pirates...the so-called Bonne family. They seem to be an interesting case."

They finished their talk and Geetz carried Sera out of the Flutter. Rock was waiting for them outside.

"Sera... Um, Roll just told me..." He hesitated. "I... I'm making you worry, aren't I?"

Sera cursed internally. She had only asked Roll a question. The girl shouldn't readily assume things like that! Well, not that it wasn't true...

"I'm sorry!" He bowed unexpectedly. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. And it doesn't have to do with you or anything. It's just... I still can't wrap my head around what happened on Kattelox... Everything suddenly came back at once when we talked about it. Then there was Glyde's attack, and... It's still morning and so much happened already..."

There was also that talk with Geetz which involved Carbons going Irregular. Could it have affected Rock's state as well?

"Ah." Rock ran his hands through his hair. "But today is the day. You have no idea how anxious I was for this. The day we were all going to hang out together! Yeah, and I still am, really! I'm not about to let these things ruin my day. Let's go. Roll's waiting for us!" He grinned, but it seemed a bit forced.

They began walking. Sera was bothered because even though Rock was trying to look better, he clearly wasn't quite there yet. His expressions seemed forced. What if he never got back to normal? That was a scary thought.

He caught her worried look. "Sera..."

Sera was about to say that she wasn't worrying about him, that it was just because she depended on him to get the keys, but he didn't let her.

"Look. If it's the keys, you can relax. I'll get the remaining ones, no matter what. I promise."

That even made Sera stop walking.

Rock also stopped. He turned to face her and put a hand on her shoulder. "When I set out to do something, I always follow through to the end. I promised that I'd save you, so that's what I'm going to do."

Sera's heart tightened. For the first time, she felt bad for having lied to the Carbons.

"Which reminds me, are you sure that you should be walking around like this?"

Sera nodded. "I am fine."

"If you start feeling tired, just tell us. Don't push yourself too much, okay?" He got another nod from her. "Then, let's go."

Much to Sera's displeasure, Rock held her hand again. This time though, she chose not to complain, because she feared that it would make Rock's state worse. Sera glanced at Geetz to see if he would take it upon himself to guide her, but the Servitor said nothing and opted to walk a bit ahead of them instead. Sera wanted to reprimand him. He should stay behind her to act in case something happened to her.

Roll was waiting for them a bit further ahead, with Data riding on her back. The monkey robot shuddered at the sight of Rock pulling Mother Two by the hand.

They walked slowly, mostly due to Sera's supposed illness. Rock and Sera were at the back, and Geetz walked a bit ahead between them and Roll. The Units observed as Carbons passed by them on the streets. Some talked between themselves, while others looked straight ahead and walked at a brisk pace.

Someone in digging armor walked past them. That prompted Geetz to ask, "Mister Rock, I have a question. When did you start digging?"

"Hmm, let's see... I used a Buster for the first time when I was... Eight, I think."

"Gramps had taken us to an island." Roll spoke. "We stayed in the town while Gramps was digging in the ruins. Suddenly, some Reaverbots appeared on land and attacked the town."

"Everyone began panicking." Rock continued the narrative. "I couldn't stand seeing that and wanted to do something. I borrowed a Buster from the junk store and used it to take the Reaverbots down. After that, the store owner thanked me and let me keep it. It was my first Buster..." He remembered it like it was yesterday. At that magical moment when he grasped the Buster in his hand, he knew exactly what to do, like it was second nature. It was an unexplainable feeling. Rock was sure that he had found something he excelled at and wanted to put it to good use. He wanted to explore it more, to know the limits of his own potential. That was what made him decide to become a Digger. "Gramps was very surprised when he found out what had happened. A few days later, I offered to go on a dig, and Gramps said he'd train me. He tutored me for around one year, then I went on my first dig."

"It was my first time as a spotter too..." Roll recalled the event. "I couldn't tell left from right, quite literally! I wasn't used to the navigation equipment, and Rock got lost underground for three days!"

"... Yeah..." Rock smiled at the recollection, even though it couldn't be considered a pleasant event.

Geetz's mind was preoccupied with something else. The bit about Reaverbots attacking the town was odd. They usually stayed idle and only attacked when provoked. They didn't go around causing havoc unless they were... _This cannot be! The Elder System's Reaverbots!_

"Mister Rock. Regarding the Reaverbots. There are two kinds of Reaverbots: the current ones, and the 'old' ones. The current ones are the most common. They mostly stay idle and only attack when approached. The 'old' ones are much more aggressive and pose a serious problem. They come from an extremely dangerous ancient computer system... The system that destroyed the first human civilization..."

"The first human civilization?" Roll seemed interested.

"Yes. Long ago, Terra was inhabited by the original humans, as well as advanced androids called 'Reploids.' Technological advances achieved throughout the centuries allowed them to coexist on equal terms. All was well until a sizeable group of Reploids declared themselves superior to the humans and both civilizations began fighting for dominance. The Reploids got access to fragments of a dangerous artifact called 'Livemetal Model W,' which they used to mass-produce the machines we now know as Reaverbots."

"Hmm, interesting!" Roll said. "I always wondered about the Reaverbots, what they are and where they come from. So that's how they came about...? What happened to the humans and the others?"

"The Reaverbots went out of control and attacked everything indiscriminately, including their own kind. Various parts of Terra were destroyed and ended up swallowed by water. Both civilizations were completely eradicated. The only survivor was the last human, the person who Mistress Sera and I are bound to serve. He, too, is unfortunately gone, now."

"Oh. That's... Sad."

"Indeed..." The Servitor sighed. "He was a very knowledgeable person. He did everything he could to restore Terra to a livable state."

"And it worked. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here now, right?" The girl observed.

"Correct. He also researched Reaverbots extensively. He was even able to create his own Reaverbot variants, using safer materials than the Model W, of course. He used said research's results to develop mechanisms to hold the Elder System's Reaverbots at bay."

"Elder... System..." Rock repeated absentmindedly.

"The idea is to prevent the old Reaverbots from activating. Basically, the System attempts to cut their energy supply, by redirecting the ruins' mineral energy to the current Reaverbots."

"Wait," Roll raised a hand. "Let me see if I understood this right. Are you saying that these Reaverbots we know are mostly... 'Good?'"

"Precisely."

"Then, why do they attack us?" Roll continued asking while Rock only listened with a thoughtful expression.

"The current Reaverbots are simplistic machines with no intelligence. They simply detect anything outside of their group as a threat. They act as security guards and are the first line of defense against the older robots that sometimes get enough energy to activate, despite our Master's efforts. Whenever that happens and the current machines are not strong enough to eliminate them, the old Reaverbots might come out of the ruins and begin attacking the surrounding areas. Back in our time, it was the Purifier Units' duty to intervene in such cases."

_Geetz, you are revealing too much information!_ Sera thought angrily.

Her Servitor continued talking. "The fact that you were able to eliminate such a threat at only eight years of age is quite impressive, Mister Rock."

Rock didn't answer. He was lost in thought. All of that was a strange coincidence. He had terminated Juno, who had become an Irregular. He had fought the Elder System's Reaverbots, not only on that day but on many more occasions afterwards. He was doing everything that a Purifier Unit was designed to do. And while he thought, he didn't realize that he was already using their technical terms, like "terminate," "Irregular," "Elder System," and "Purifier Unit."

"Hmm, so they fought Reaverbots too?" It was Roll again. "Ah! Yeah, now I remember! 'Stopping Reaverbot outbreaks!' That's what you said that day... So, **he** was one of them too, right?"

That strange question brought Rock back from his thoughts. "Huh... Roll?"

A quick glance in his direction reminded Roll that Sera was with them, and that she shouldn't talk about that subject near her. "Oops! S-sorry, never mind! Hahahaha!" She laughed sheepishly. "Um... Anyway, what you said about the Reaverbots is very interesting! Gramps would love to hear about it!"

They got to a busy street. Geetz and Roll managed to cross it, but Rock and Sera were left behind.

"Oh. Now we'll have to wait for them..." Roll said. After a few seconds of wait, she saw that Geetz was very agitated. "Geetz, what's wrong?"

"I should not have crossed the street. I should have stayed at Mistress Sera's side!" Geetz felt very ashamed. How could he forget about his duty to stay near his mistress? "Everything happened so fast. I was not thinking properly..."

"Geetz, don't worry. Everything will be okay. They'll get here soon."

"I trust that Mister Rock will bring her here safely. However, it was my duty to stay by her side! How could I fail at such a simple task? Perhaps I should go back there..."

"Relax." Roll tried to comfort him. "Like you said, it's a very small problem. It's not a big deal. You don't need to get so worked up over it."

Geetz sighed. They quietly waited for a while, but the cars kept coming nonstop. Geetz decided to start a conversation. "To answer your earlier question, yes."

"Huh?"

"**He** was a Purifier Unit."

"Ah..." Roll nodded in understanding.

"A First Class Purifier Unit, to be more exact. His full designation was 'First Class Purifier Unit Rockman Trigger.'"

Data almost fell from Roll's back, and had to hold onto her hat for support. He was horrified. Geetz was talking to Roll about Trigger! And by the looks of it, it wasn't the first time. This was getting dangerous... He hoped that the Servitor hadn't noticed his agitation. Luckily, neither Roll nor Geetz reacted to Data's sudden movement.

"What a long name..."

"He always said so himself..." The Servitor had a distant look.

"Um... Rockman Trigger, then?"

"Yes."

"It sounds cool! I hope to be able to meet him someday! And if I do, I need to know the best way to address him!"

"Actually, he always insisted that we should simply call him 'Trigger.'"

"Hmm." She turned it around a bit more. "Hey, wait a minute. Back in the Flutter, when you were talking about... That Juno person... You said he was 'Rockman' too, didn't you? Does that mean that Trigger isn't the only Rockman?"

That girl was more perceptive than Geetz had thought. He needed to be more careful with his words. "Correct. It is because both of them made extensive use of the Rockman technology. This technology was responsible for reducing the gap between humans and Reploids in the past."

"Hmm..." Roll listened curiously.

Data clutched Roll's hat. This talk was definitely getting dangerous. Strangely though, the Servitor's face wasn't stoic as usual, nor did it show the kind of expression one would have when talking about someone they wanted to kill.

* * *

At the other side of the street, Rock and Sera still waited for an opportunity. The cars came one after another in quick succession, and showed no signs of letting up. The broken traffic lights didn't make it any better, either. Sera wondered how such a small town could have so many cars. At least Geetz and Roll could be seen waiting for them at the other side, so Sera didn't need to worry about getting separated and having to waste the rest of the day looking for them.

Nearly five minutes passed. Only then did a potential opportunity present itself.

"Do you see that yellow car? That's our cue." Rock spoke for the first time in five minutes. "But we'll need to be quick. Do you think you can run?" He didn't let her answer, because their cue was approaching fast. "No, better not..." The yellow car zoomed past them. "Now! Let's go!"

"Aaaah! What are you doing!?" Sera yelped as Rock wrapped an arm around her waist, lifted her from the ground and ran. He carried her all the way to the other side of the street, and only put her back on the ground when they were reunited with Roll and Geetz.

"Thank you, Mister Rock." Geetz turned to Sera. "Mistress Sera, I apologize for being so careless. This will never happen again."

But his mistress wasn't paying much mind to him. As soon as she was released, she threw a displeased look towards the boy.

"Sorry, we didn't have time!" Rock justified himself. "Who knows how much longer we'd have to wait if I hadn't done that."

Sera sighed and chose not to argue. In fact, that incident reminded her of a mission from long ago.

X:X:X:X:X

A few security devices had stopped responding to the System's signals, and Sera had to come to Terra and reconfigure them. She and Yuna had to go to different islands where these devices were located. Unluckily, the Elder System's Reaverbots had to be on the loose right were she needed to go. Although she insisted that Geetz would provide enough protection, the Master said it would be better to be accompanied by a high ranked Purifier Unit instead. And what better option than the highest ranked one? That was how Sera ended up coming to Terra with Trigger. She wasn't the least bit pleased with that decision, but those were the Master's orders.

Trigger talked nonstop during the whole flight to Terra. Sera almost wished a Reaverbot would damage his speech components permanently so that he would shut up forever.

"Thanks, Geetz!" Trigger said to Sera's Servitor, who had been piloting the shuttle.

"Master Trigger, you heard the instructions, did you not?" Geetz repeated them anyway. "You must eliminate any threats and open the way for Mistress Sera, and guide her safely to the problematic computer's location. You should have the coordinates..."

Trigger cut him off. "Yeah yeah, I get it. Basically, I have to escort her, right?" He said with a grin.

"... Yes."

"Okay. It's no problem. I have the coordinates. The Master gave them to me this morning."

"Good..." Geetz said with a sigh.

Trigger noticed that the Servitor seemed a little down. "Geetz, I know that you wanted to escort Mistress Sera personally, and I'm sorry that you couldn't do it this time. But don't worry." He bowed. "I promise that I won't let anything bad happen to her!"

"Thank you, Master Trigger. I will be here awaiting both your and Mistress Sera's safe return."

"Okay. Mistress Sera, let's go. Mission start!" Trigger shouted and sprinted out of the shuttle.

Sera sighed. It would be a long day.

* * *

Sera followed from a distance while Trigger ran ahead and opened fire against all Reaverbots that dared to cross his path, and occasionally looked behind to see how she was doing. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around to face her.

"Why did you stop?" She asked when she caught up to him.

"The ground ahead looks too unstable. If I go first, it might collapse before you get to pass. So, let's go together!" With no more warning than that, he lifted her from the ground.

"Aaaah! Trigger, what do you think you are doing!?" Sera's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"I'm taking you to the other side."

"Aah! I..." She would have protested, but Trigger had already begun to run. Soon they were on the unstable surface and there wasn't much that she could do.

Trigger jumped and maneuvered as the ground around them fell apart.

"That was dangerous..." He commented when they got to the other side.

Sera was sure that being with him was way more dangerous than the collapsing ground. He resumed walking but kept holding her. "Now, can you put me on the ground?" No answer. "Are you listening?" Nothing. "Rockman Trigger! Put me on the ground **now**!"

"Hmm, that doesn't sound like a good idea. Look! The ground ahead is even worse!"

Sera cursed internally.

"Mistress Sera, don't worry. I'll get you through this."

"Aaah!" Another yelp came from Sera when Trigger flung her over his shoulder and put her on his back. "Tr-Trigger!"

"Calm down. It'll be okay. Just trust me."

Sera gritted her teeth and made a face that he was unable to see from his position.

"I'll zip through this, so hold on tight!"

Before Sera could fully understand what he had meant, Trigger had activated the jet skates on his armor and they were zig-zagging through the place at a blazing speed. Sera screamed involuntarily and desperately held onto him. He skated and jumped from one place to another in the nick of time, just before the ground under them collapsed. More warning alarms went off in Sera's head. Flying Reaverbots appeared from all directions and began shooting at them. Trigger skillfully jumped to the sides and avoided many shots, some of which hit other Reaverbots and reduced the number of pursuers a little. By the end of the trip, Sera had her eyes closed. She was shaking and her heart was beating fast.

Trigger deactivated the jet skates when they arrived on safe ground. He finally put Sera down, but her knees threatened to give way and they ended up sitting down for a short break.

"Are you okay?"

How dare he ask such a question!? Sera wouldn't even answer. It was a waste of time.

"Sorry." He added. "You aren't used to this sort of speed, are you?"

"T-Trigger..." Sera's voice was shaking and a bit hoarse, but she tried to sound as authoritative as she could. "Do not ever do... That... Again. Understand?"

"I can't promise anything." His expression was sincere. "Just look back at the way we came. How did you expect to cross that without my help?"

Sera stared at the destruction they had left behind. She hadn't expected that part of the island to be so unstable, and probably would have had problems if she had tried to cross it alone. Those flying Reaverbots were fierce and fast, and would have posed problems even to Geetz if she had asked him to fly her across that part. To Sera's frustration, she couldn't find any alternative. Did it really mean that the safest place for her to be was in that crazy Purifier's presence? She didn't want to believe that.

"A Mother Unit's safety is first priority. If there's no other way and I need to do it again, I'll do it."

As much as she had disliked what he did, that statement surprised her. Despite acting so carefree the whole time, he was conscious of what he was doing, and that last statement showed his commitment towards his duties. Besides, the Master trusted him. She couldn't go against the Master.

"They're coming again!" Trigger's voice alerted her to the arrival of their pursuers. "Hold on. I'll take them out!" He dashed towards the way back and unloaded his long range special weapon's ammo on the enemies. He came back when everything was quiet again. "I hope that was the last of them. Can you stand?" He helped her up. "Just a bit more. We're almost there."

Sera took a last glance behind. She sincerely hoped that there was another way back.

* * *

Luckily for her, there was. After she reconfigured the island's computer, they found an entrance (or maybe it was an exit) to some ruins. From their map, they discovered that the ruins were an underground passage to the other side of the island. It wasn't an easy trip, though. Soon they learned that it was the place where those Elder System Reaverbots were coming from, not to mention that the ruins also had a lot of narrow passages and unstable surfaces.

"Just... Trust me," were Trigger's words from when they were faced with danger, and Sera couldn't help but do just that. It was hard to doubt the certainty in those green eyes. The certainty of someone who knew what he was doing. And during that trip through the ruins, he was acting seriously and carefully. Sera couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him execute a task so efficiently. Sometimes she even doubted that he was the same person who had subjected her to that crazy ride moments ago. That mood was broken, though, when they arrived back at the shuttle, and Trigger grinned and shouted, "Mission complete!"

X:X:X:X:X

"Just... Trust me." Those words still nagged in the back of her mind.

They had trusted him. The Master had trusted him. But in the end, he went and killed the Master. Why did that have to happen? Trigger committed the worst crime ever. How long had he been planning to do that? He and the Master were so close... Why? For what purpose? No, the Irregulars' actions were illogical. There was no point in trying to find a reason behind them. Then there was the question: when had he become an Irregular? He always acted differently than everyone else, so it was hard to tell.

"And this is not all... It does not seem to happen due to malfunctioning. Apparently, they can transition in and out of the Irregular state... Of their own free will." Geetz's earlier words resurfaced and gave her chills.

_No..._ Sera thought in shock. That should be impossible. Trigger was a Unit. No Unit could recover from the Irregular state... But... He always acted **differently than everyone else**... _No! Could he also be...?_

"Sera, are you alright?" Roll asked. "Do you feel tired?"

"Let's take a break." Rock suggested before she could answer.

Sera was still scared at the implications of her thoughts. She didn't comment and just let Rock pull her along.

They continued on their way, in search of an appropriate spot for a break. Roll giggled when they passed by a family with a father, two girls and a toddler boy. The toddler was trying to walk. His father and older sister watched his movements, while the middle child looked away sulkily.

"Hee hee hee! That baby just reminded me of Rock when he was still learning to walk. Rock, do you remember anything from that time?"

He tried, but nothing came to his mind. "No." He answered.

"Well, I do. Once, I called you over and you tried to walk toward me. When you were almost there, I took a few steps back! Aww, you were so upset..."

"Roll?" Rock looked at her incredulously. "You really did that?"

"... Yeah, I did. Whenever you got frustrated and gave up, you made a face. It was so cute. Yeah! I'll see if we still have pictures of that!"

"What!? You took pictures!? Aaaaah! That's embarrassing!" Rock made a flustered face.

"Hey, yeah, that face!" Roll pointed at him. "It was something like that!" Roll giggled. She quickly went over to him and ruffled his hair as though he were still the little child from that time.

"Ah! Roll, stop!" He closed one eye and his face reddened in embarrassment.

"No." She refused. She kept interrupting her walk and hopping towards him to ruffle his hair or pinch his cheeks.

"Stop, Roll!" Rock's face was as red as a tomato. He couldn't stand it. They were in the presence of visitors, and on a somewhat busy street. He could already see some people looking at the scene and laughing.

"Maybe if you ask nicely..." Roll smirked.

He sighed. "... Please."

"What did you say, Rock?" She pretended to not understand.

"Roll, it's..."

"Rock..." She gave him a stern look.

"I said please!" He was getting desperate.

"Top! Top! Pease!" Roll mimicked his baby speech from back then.

"Roll!"

"Hee hee hee hee!" She giggled again. "You were so adorable. And I didn't stop teasing you until you learned to say 'stop' and 'please' right. Are you sure you don't remember anything?"

"I'm sure."

"Oh." Roll lowered her eyes. "Too bad... I thought I'd be able to make you remember. Oh well... Okay, sorry then."

Just when Rock had thought Roll's teasing had stopped, she came at him again and ruffled his hair one more time. "Ah! Roll!"

"... ... ... ... ... Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Geetz was unable to contain his laughter. Everyone looked at him with surprise in their faces, including Data and Sera.

"Gee-Geetz...?" Sera had been lost in thought and was trying to tune that banter out. To her, it was just pointless noise. However, she was forced to look when she heard laughter coming from her Servitor's direction. Sera stared as if she didn't recognize him. She had never heard Geetz laugh like that! ... No, correction. She had never heard Geetz laugh, period.

Geetz tried in vain to stifle his laugh. He didn't understand what was happening himself. He had experienced it a few times, mostly prompted by Trigger doing something unusual. He had seen the Master laughing several times, and he knew that Carbons were also able to do that. But that was different. The Master was one of the original humans, so it was natural behavior. In the Carbons' case, it was supposed to be simulated. But what about the Units? How many Units were able to do that? Geetz didn't know, because the only one he had seen doing it frequently was Trigger, who was an exception to many rules for some reason. Geetz wasn't sure if it was a "feature" implemented into Units in general, and if it were, he didn't understand why it would be needed. Now he was there, unable to stop laughing. It was a strange feeling. He wanted to stop, but it was uncontrollable. Even so, he had to admit that it wasn't a bad sensation. "Ah... Hahaha... Hahahahahaha... A-apologies, Mister Rock. I... I did not mean to..."

Rock was as surprised as everyone else. The impact was strong enough to cancel the effects of Roll's teasing. "Um... It's uh... Okay."

To Geetz, it wasn't 'okay.' Rock had looked so flustered. It didn't feel right to laugh at him. "M-Mister Rock, I am sorry. I do not know what has gotten into me. I... Usually do not..." He tried to explain, but Rock cut him off.

"Geetz, don't worry. It's alright. You act so serious all the time, so it's... Actually nice to see you laughing like that!"

"Yeah, it is." Roll agreed. "You should laugh more often!" She grinned evilly. "If that's all it takes for you to laugh, maybe I should begin teasing Rock more!"

Rock gulped. "This isn't right. I don't remember Roll being so mean before."

"You trust people too much, Rock," Roll said. Her evil grin still hadn't subsided. "You should be more careful."

_Especially with him and Mother Two,_ Data thought from his position on Roll's back.

* * *

They stopped at a small park. They were looking for somewhere to sit when they saw an ice cream cart.

"What!? I can't believe this..." Rock had asked the Units if they liked ice cream, and couldn't hide his surprise when Geetz answered. "You've never had ice cream!"

"We heard that it was common in ancient times, when the first civilization still existed. However, it was not produced during our time and we never had the opportunity to try it."

"Then we have to fix that!" Rock said with a grin. "Right, Roll?"

"Yeah! Come on!" Roll enthusiastically hopped towards the vending cart. Data had to cling on to her hat for dear life, and hope that the hat wouldn't fall off her head with him.

The teenagers bought some ice cream and the group sat on a bench to eat.

"It is interesting how even the cones are edible." Geetz commented.

"Yeah, a good example of making the most out of resources." Rock agreed.

"You said that ice cream was common for the first human civilization," Roll said. "I wonder if their ice cream was different from ours. But I'm sure that it only exists now because the first humans invented it. It's amazing how we could preserve this culture until now, isn't it?"

Yes, it was. Sera was also amazed by that. Something from the time when other humans lived. It wasn't long until she began imagining a younger Master in a group of human kids having ice cream. The icy and refreshing taste was great, but the ice cream was full of sugar and other things that wouldn't have been good for the Master's health. No wonder that the confection couldn't get a place in Elysium's food selection.

A child's cry caught everyone's attention. A little boy had been running and tripped. Roll stood up from the bench and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

The boy just nodded and continued crying.

His mother came running after him. "Oh my...! You really can't stay quiet for even a minute, can you?" She looked at Roll. "Thank you for helping my son. Sorry for any trouble."

"It's no problem."

The encounter with that little Carbon served as fuel for Sera's imagination. She imagined coming to that park with Geetz, the Master... And Trigger, of course. The Master would talk about how they had ice cream on Terra back when the other humans lived. At his first opportunity, Trigger would run off and force them to go around the park looking for him. He would do stupid things like always and get on Sera's nerves. Of course, the Master wouldn't so much as scold him, and Sera wouldn't be able to contain herself.

"You cannot stay quiet for even one minute!" She would say. "You are behaving worse than a Carbon child! Trigger, control yourself!" To which he would simply grin and answer with some nonsense.

At that point, the last of Sera's ice cream melted inside her mouth, along with her fantasies. She couldn't understand. Just a few minutes ago, she had been debating about Trigger's Irregular condition. Yet, it was so easy to include him in those scenarios she created. It was as though it were normal to have him as part of the group, and it just couldn't be any other way. It was strange. Even after everything that he did, she couldn't really bring herself to hate him. Why was that? Trigger was in the past, and the past couldn't be changed. Why couldn't she just forget him and be done with it? She got lost in her conflicted thoughts and fear showed in her eyes. _My thoughts are making no sense! No, I am not becoming an Irregular. I am __**not**__!_

"Mistress Sera, is something the matter?" Her Servitor's voice brought her back to the bench in the park.

"Are you feeling sick?" Roll also looked at her in concern.

"Hm? ... I am f-fine," she said, but it wasn't too convincing, especially for those teenagers.

"Do you need something?" Roll asked.

"I have an idea! Wait here. I'll be right back." Rock left hurriedly towards the ice cream cart. He came back two minutes later. "Here, these will make you feel better." He gave her two smaller ice cream cones. When she looked at him questioningly, he said, "Back near the cart, you were eying those smaller cones, so..."

Sera recalled having her attention grabbed by the small cones, because they were different and they stood out. "You... Observe too much." She took the items and said in an annoyed tone.

But instead of backing away or being offended, he laughed. To tell the truth, it was nice to see him laughing, especially after all those disturbingly dark expressions he had shown during that day.

Sera decided to focus on her ice cream and try to forget all those things that she couldn't make sense of. She closed her eyes and savored the small cones. She allowed herself to get lost momentarily in the sensations brought by those icy, sweet substances. The sweet and refreshing taste entered her systems and carried her doubts away. By the end of it, she was sure of at least one thing: Trigger would have loved ice cream.

* * *

A/n: ZX references! "Biometal" is called "Livemetal" in the Japanese version. I like "Livemetal" better.

Here in São Paulo, Brazil, broken traffic lights are quite a common sight. :P

Roll was really mean in this chapter :P . Since the time she helped Rock to learn how to walk and speak, until now when she's trying to help him learn how to pilot, she's been making him learn things the hard way :P . But Rock strangely only seems to remember the good bits XD . If she manages to find those pictures, though, it'll be over. :P


	7. The Secret

A/n: great news! This story, "Trigger of Change," has been added to a community! It's a collection of Mega Man stories, the "Library of Mega Man / Rockman"

community/Library-of-Mega-Man-Rockman/117756

It's the first time that one of my stories gets added to a community, so this is very nice! Thanks to Raeror (the community manager) for including my story! The community is looking for new stories and new members, so if you are also writing a Mega Man story and wants it listed, or if you want to become a member, send a PM to Raeror (u/5734580). Thanks again, Raeror! :)

Now, let's continue on our trip with our adorable Units XD .

* * *

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 7: The Secret

The group entered a two-story building. As Sera and Geetz soon discovered, it was a shopping mall. While the sight of people walking hurriedly in town could be compared to the sight of Elysian workers running around on duty, the shopping mall was unlike anything that the two Units had seen before. People came from all directions carrying shopping bags of various sizes. The items on display in the stores seemed to double as both advertisement and decoration, and the blend of colors from the various stores' products added to the place's liveliness. Products included obvious items such as clothes, watches and other accessories, as well as other less obvious things of which neither Unit dared guess the purpose.

At Rock and Roll's insistence, they stopped at a store to get Sera and Geetz some new clothes, as opposed to their "ancient style" clothes, as Rock decided to call them. Geetz came out of the store wearing a white buttoned shirt and gray pants, while Sera got a white T-shirt and blue shorts. At least, it was comfortable and rather discreet, unlike the ridiculous outfit from that party in the Sulphur-Bottom. The teenagers paid for those as well as another extra set of clothes, then the group continued their walk.

They were near a music store when they heard a piano playing some cheerful music.

Rock was the first to comment. "Huh? I think I've heard this song before... Hmm, it was... Inside Kattelox's TV station, I think. Ah. I remember talking to the people who handled the sound... But I didn't ask what this song was called!"

"Waltz of the Flowers." The unexpected answer came from Sera. All eyes turned to her.

"Do you know this song?" Roll was surprised.

"Yes. It was composed by one of the original humans."

"Then, it means that this is another bit of culture that we managed to preserve until now!" Roll concluded. "This is amazing!"

Sera was curious. That song should have been played by a full orchestra, not a piano. However, it didn't sound "wrong."

"Let's take a look!" Roll headed for the music store, and the others followed.

They entered and walked towards the sound. The store was huge and full of people. Almost everyone seemed to have stopped what they were doing to listen to the music. The store had a great assortment of products ranging from CDs and music related books to sound equipment and musical instruments. The group followed the sound until they could catch a glimpse of the person playing the piano, who was obscured by the nearby shelves' shadows. Sera was intrigued. Who could be playing that song? They got closer, and when she was finally able to see who was there, she froze.

"Aaaaaaah!" Roll's reaction was quite the opposite. She quickened her pace and approached the person. "E-e-excuse me!"

"Yes?" The person stopped playing the instrument and turned to face them.

There was no doubt. That woman looked like a Carbon, but Sera knew exactly who she was. The same person that watched alongside Gatts as she and Geetz were awoken from stasis. It was Yuna. Geetz was right when he said that they might run into her.

"... Mistress Yuna!" Geetz exclaimed.

"Hello, Geetz." Yuna stepped away from the musical instrument, which was revealed to be an electronic keyboard rather than a piano. "Hmm... Both of you look really nice in those clothes!" She smiled at the two Units. "Hi Sera, how have you been?"

Sera's first urge was to reprimand Yuna for "destroying" the music by playing it with an instrument it wasn't intended for, but deep down, she was envious. That Carbon shell wasn't subject to the System's influence and allowed Yuna to do things outside of her intended parameters, which didn't include playing musical instruments, for instance. And if the Carbons were really evolving like Geetz suspected, then it was the more reason to be bothered. Sera was well aware that going outside of their parameters meant bordering Irregularity, but sometimes she wanted a bit more freedom, even though she was sure that she didn't deserve it. Despite being a Mother Unit, she was just a servant to the Master. Even now that he was no longer there, she was bound to serve him and the System. That was the only purpose of her existence. She couldn't have any functionality unrelated to her duties. Sera decided not to answer Yuna's greeting and turned her head away.

"Hey." Yuna seemed offended. "We've finally met again after so long! Couldn't you at least be a bit nicer?"

"Hold on a second!" Rock said. "What's happening here? Do you know each other!?"

"Yes. Actually, **We**'ve known each other for a long time." Yuna grinned mysteriously at him. Rock was unaware that her "we" included him as well.

"So... Does it mean... That you're from the past too!?" Roll's eyes were wide open.

"That's right!" Yuna grinned. "I'm Yuna."

"I'm Roll, and this is Rock." She pointed at him. "Nice to meet you!"

"Rock n' Roll, huh? Hahaha! It's a pleasure to meet you." Yuna bowed slightly. "Thank you for spending time with those two! It must've been hard for them to adapt to this new age. It's great to know that they have some nice people at their side!"

"I-it's our pleasure! Um..." Roll fidgeted. "Sorry for the sudden question, but... Do you know anyone named Matilda Caskett, by any chance?"

"Yes, I do."

"R-really!?" Roll's heart skipped.

"We found her injured on Forbidden Island years ago. We decided to take care of her and help her recover. Her condition was really bad. I had to use some advanced ancient technology to be able to save her. Her condition was so bad that she hasn't recovered fully yet, but she's alive and well. Since then, we've become close friends. So close that I began looking like her! ... Maybe a bit too much..." Yuna was having trouble hiding the involuntary grin that appeared on her face.

Roll couldn't contain her happiness. "She's my mother! She went on an exploration and disappeared when I was very little. I've been searching for her all my life! I always had hope that she'd still be alive. You saved her! Thank you so much!"

"Oh. She told me that she had a daughter. So it's you!" Yuna feigned ignorance.

"What about my father? Do you know anything about him?"

"No, sorry. They got separated. Matilda was alone when I found her. And she didn't recognize anyone that I found afterwards. But don't lose hope. I rescued everyone I could. Chances are that I had rescued him before. So many people ventured to Forbidden Island that it's hard to recall specific faces."

"Oh. Thanks anyway. I won't lose hope. I'll keep looking for him." Roll breathed deeply. "But now I know that my mother's alive... I can't wait to meet her again! ... But... It's been so many years since she last saw me... What if she doesn't remember me anymore? What if she doesn't recognize me?"

"Don't worry! She always remembers you. I'm sure she'd be very happy to see you. Whenever I get a chance, I'll take you to her."

Roll's eyes sparkled, and she smiled widely. "Really? Thank you! You have no idea how happy I am now!"

"No problem!" Yuna's expression almost mirrored Roll's. She gently squeezed the girl's hand. "It's a promise."

"Okay!" Roll nodded. They shared a moment of silence. Roll glanced at the keyboard that Yuna was playing previously and changed the subject. "Gramps told me that my mother studied piano for a while."

"Yes. She taught me a bit. She still has some coordination problems, and I found out that playing an instrument helps. But our old one broke, so I decided to buy a new one!"

Sera didn't know what to make of that. Did it mean that the Carbon was still conscious even though Yuna was controlling her shell? That was absurd.

"Mistress Yuna!" Someone rushed towards her in a hurry.

"Let me make the introduction. This is Gatts, my assistant."

"Hi!" Roll greeted. She quickly noticed the similarity between him and Geetz. "Um, excuse me, but are you and Geetz related?"

"Well, technically, they can be considered siblings." Yuna answered for him. "The same goes for Sera and me. Right, Sera?" Yuna grinned at her.

"Sera...?" Roll looked at the other Mother Unit, who didn't look anything like Yuna.

"Hmph." Sera looked away from Yuna again.

Rock had been thoughtful during the whole conversation. Of course, it was great to know that Roll's mother was alive and being treated, but something didn't add up. He raised a hand. "Um, excuse me?"

"Yes?" Yuna turned her head to face him.

"I'm very grateful that you saved Roll's mother, and I'm very happy for both of them! Like Roll said, we've been searching for her for our entire lives! ... But there's one thing I don't understand."

"Hmm." Yuna raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. "Go on."

"You're the person who appeared on television, during Mister Bluecher's conference, right?"

"Yes, that's right. It was me."

"Why did you attack the Sulphur-Bottom?"

"I wanted to keep everyone away from the island. I didn't intend to drop the ship, though."

"I am really sorry!" Gatts bowed apologetically. "It was a miscalculation on my part."

Yuna added. "I was expecting them to retreat, but we misjudged the ship's resilience. Thankfully, you showed up and saved everyone! You did a great job!"

Rock didn't react to her compliment. "Why did you want to keep everyone away?"

"You know what it was like on Forbidden Island, don't you?" She didn't give him time to answer. "Of course you do. You're the one who did what no one else managed to do and successfully explored it alone! It was very dangerous. People were always trying to enter that place. Unfortunately, I used up all my resources when I helped Matilda, and I wouldn't be able to do anything if more cases like hers appeared."

At least, that made sense. Rock allowed himself to relax a little.

"Mistress Yuna! The line is getting longer!" Gatts desperately looked at the people waiting in line to pay for their items. "You still haven't chosen your new instrument, have you!?"

"Calm down, Gatts." Yuna shrugged. "I'm not in a hurry."

"I can see that..." Gatts rolled his eyes.

"Do you have anything else to do now?" Yuna addressed the group.

"Not really." Roll answered. "We could stay and talk more! ... If you don't mind..."

"See?" Yuna grinned at her Servitor. "If worse comes to worse, we have good company to help us wait! Now, I'll try that other one. Let's see..." She walked towards another keyboard.

Gatts sighed.

Roll giggled. "I like her."

They waited a bit. Yuna began playing the same song.

"Hmm, I think this one isn't so nice." Rock commented.

Yuna seemed to think the same, because she stopped and went over to yet another keyboard.

Gatts decided to start a conversation with Geetz and called him over to a corner.

"Let's take a look around while we wait." Roll led Rock and Sera to another part of the store.

"It's been a long time, Geetz." Gatts began once the group was out of sight.

"Yes. But she doesn't ever change, does she?" A faint smile appeared on Geetz's face.

"Mistress Yuna? Yes, she has, actually. She's even more... Lively now. After bonding with Miss Matilda, it's as though something... Unlocked within her."

"Hmm." Geetz closed his eyes in thought. Was that the Carbons' potential? Was it another indication that they were evolving? Another thought occurred to him. Were the Carbons gifted with the ability to evolve? What about the Units? Their only purpose was only to keep the System running. They didn't need anything else. Did it mean that they were stopped in time and unable to evolve as the Carbons surpassed them? How could the ones in charge of the essential task of keeping the balance have become inferior to those who were supposed to be nothing more than mere placeholders? Did other Units ever suspect that possibility? If they did, that itself might be reason enough for them to go Irregular. They could have refused to accept their inferiority compared with the Carbons, and decided to go against the System and the very rules that unfairly restricted their development.

"You seem to have changed, too." Gatts' words brought him back from his reverie.

"... Me? What makes you say that?"

"For one, you aren't glaring daggers at me, even after... What happened last time."

Geetz allowed a chuckle to escape his mouth. "Maybe you're right. It's even... Funny how we're just talking normally like this, after what happened."

"I'm sorry about last time, by the way." Gatts apologized.

Geetz recalled the reason for their fight. At that moment, Gatts seemed willing to resolve things through a civil discussion. Or was it Geetz himself that was up for talking? When they last met, he had been the one to lash out in the first place. Yes, maybe Gatts was right and he was also changing. Either way, chances were that he would have more luck with Gatts than with Yuna. "Gatts." He lowered his voice. "After that, what happened to Master Trigger?"

Gatts' expression became serious.

"Mistress Yuna told me that he was sealed inside some ruins." Geetz pressed. "Two centuries have passed. Is he still alive?"

Gatts hesitated. "... Yes. We still hope to find out what really happened to the Master, and what his last wish was. For that, we need Master Trigger alive. He's the only one that can lead us to these answers. Mistress Yuna doesn't want to jump to conclusions ahead of time. She refuses to take action before we have these answers. That's why she's holding off on handing over the keys."

"I also want to know that. But he was reset. I saw it myself. His program was blank. Even if he's alive, he won't have memories of anything. How do you intend to find anything out?"

"There must be a way." Gatts spoke confidently, and it bothered Geetz.

Just from their short talk, it was apparent that there was much more to that story. Gatts was definitely hiding important details. "Is he still sealed, or is he active?" Geetz insisted.

"... Geetz, I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to disclose this information."

"Fine, I understand..." Geetz bit his lip. He had thought that he could squeeze some information out of Gatts, but in the end, all that he was told was what Yuna allowed Gatts to disclose. Still, if he could manage to make Gatts' tongue slip somehow...

* * *

The other members of their group were taking a look around the store. A violin on one of the shelves grabbed Sera's attention.

"Hm?" Roll noticed and followed Sera's gaze. "A violin?" She smiled. "Violins make very beautiful sounds, don't they? Do you like them too, Sera?"

Sera nodded, with a distant look in her eyes. "It was the instrument that the Master... The last original human... Played."

"Oh..." Roll smiled. "I wish I could have been there to listen to that!"

"It was really beautiful..." Sera recalled a violin that they had on Elysium. The Master occasionally played to them... And a certain Purifier Unit kept bothering him and trying to play it as well, with quite disastrous results.

Rock had a very strong urge to go and pick the instrument up, but he thought it over a few times, and decided against it. What was he going to do with a violin, anyway? He had never played a musical instrument in his whole life, so nothing good could come out of that. It wasn't for him. He had nothing to do with it... Even so, he caught himself giving the instrument a last glance when they were leaving the section.

They headed back the way they came and found the two Servitors talking animatedly.

Music from Yuna's tests and other instruments filled the store as Geetz and Gatts talked about other subjects. Geetz kept trying to find an opening to make Gatts reveal anything about Trigger, but it seemed like Gatts was more interested in listening than he was in speaking and left most of the talking up to him.

"Hmm?" Roll came up to them. "Oh, Geetz, this is the first time I've heard you talking so casually!"

Rock came behind her. "I wonder when you're going to trust us enough to talk to us like this!"

"Ah! ... M-Mister Rock! Miss Roll! Um... Well..." Geetz was embarrassed.

"Sera, shouldn't you talk to her, too?" Rock asked. "It's been a long time since you last met, right?"

Sera wanted to say that she had nothing to talk to Yuna about, but in fact, she had a lot of questions. She couldn't help but think that something wasn't right. Yuna seemed too calm even after having two of the keys taken away. She seemed to be planning something.

"Ah! She's coming!" Rock nudged her in Yuna's direction and left her without much choice.

Yuna had settled on the first instrument. "It's decided. I'll keep this one!" She announced as she walked back towards the group.

"Yuna..." Sera spoke to her for the first time since they met in that store.

"What is it?"

"I believe we need to talk... Privately."

"Hmm... Me too. But I need to pay for this first." Yuna looked at the line which, like Gatts had pointed out, was very long. It looked like they would have to stand in it for a while. But Sera had finally decided she wanted to talk, and Yuna didn't want to keep her waiting. "Ah well. Sorry Gatts, but could you pay for this for me?" She thrust both her purchase and a pouch with zenny into her Servitor's arms.

"Ah! Mistress Yuna!" Gatts had a comical expression as he scrambled to catch the items that were suddenly flung at him.

"Come on, Sera. Let's go." Yuna began walking and gestured for her fellow Unit to follow her.

Gatts watched as the two walked away. His eyes didn't leave Yuna until she completely disappeared from his line of sight. He didn't like the idea of leaving his mistress wandering about. When Yuna was still in her original shell, the System's rules stated that he shouldn't be away from her for long. Strangely, even after she changed into a Carbon's shell and the System stopped recognizing her as a Mother Unit, his program still insisted that he should stay near her. His first urge was to follow her, but the burden he was carrying reminded him that he had a task to complete. He made his way towards the line. As he waited, he began remembering the moment when Yuna's program transfer occurred.

X:X:X:X:X

Yuna had used up her components to help Matilda, and in turn her shell broke. "Ah! I can't move! I think I overdid it... Gatts, can you take a look?"

Gatts used his Reaverbot eye to scan her systems. He studiously examined her program statuses while she waited patiently. When he finished his analysis, he looked at her with an aggravated expression. "The analysis is complete."

"And... What is the status?"

He hesitated. "I am afraid your shell is severely broken. We do not have the required resources for repair. We may be able to find some of the components on Elysium, but we no longer have any Unit that can carry out the more complex repair procedures."

"Oh... This is bad... There's so much that I still need to do! I haven't finished my research about the Carbons yet! And..." Yuna paused. "Hey, I have an idea! Gatts, think you can transfer my program to her shell?"

"What are you saying!? If your program gets transferred to a Carbon shell, the System will no longer recognize you as a Mother Unit!"

"But it's the only thing we can do right now. Our latest research has shown that the current Carbons' shells are compatible with ours, hasn't it?"

"Yes, but..."

"Come on, Gatts. It's just a temporary solution until we can get my shell fixed." Yuna insisted. She would have grinned if her shell were responding properly. "Besides, what better way is there to research about the Carbons than actually becoming one?"

Gatts didn't like the idea, but he didn't have a better one.

"So Gatts, can you do this for me, please?"

"Y-yes. As you wish, Mistress Yuna."

"Thank you."

The Servitor reluctantly approached her and began carrying out the required procedures. Removing her program from her shell felt like a crime. He was essentially taking the Mother Unit privileges away from her. The implications of that action scared him. He was created specifically to serve Yuna. Would he be able to do that if she were separated from the System? A message from the System interrupted him just as he had finished the transfer and issued the command to boot her program back up.

"Critical error! Mother Unit Number One, program shutdown detected... ... ... Life signal at 0%. Mother Unit Number One ceased functioning! Requesting contact with Elysium. Action required immediately! Repeat. Mother Unit Number One ceased functioning! Requesting contact with Elysium. Action required immediately!"

Gatts fell to his knees and lowered his head. The System said that Yuna was gone. His Mistress... Was gone... And he had been the one to remove her program... Did that make him an Irregular? No... This wasn't right... He was perfectly sure that Yuna had asked for the transfer and he had successfully completed it himself. She had to be there, unless the Carbon shell turned out to be incompatible after all and her program was unable to boot back up. But the System was saying that she was gone! ... But... But...

The Carbon awoke. She tested her range of motion. Her hands, her arms, her legs. She slowly sat up. She looked around, and her eyes registered fear when they stopped on him.

Gatts didn't dare say anything. He was scared. The System was saying that the Mother Unit he was bound to serve was gone. But his logic insisted that she was there, in the form of the Carbon right in front of him. But she still hadn't said anything and Gatts had no proof that his mistress was indeed there.

"... G-Gatts?" She asked in an unfamiliar voice. "... Gatts, i-it's me... You know who I am... Don't you?" Fear intensified in her eyes and she whispered. "Gatts, please..."

He raised his head. "M-Mis-Mistress... Yuna?"

Her fear disappeared and a wide smile made its way into her face. "Yes, it's me. Ah, what a relief! I feared that you wouldn't acknowledge me anymore..."

"Mistress Yuna...!" He was almost panicking. "The System did not acknowledge the transfer. I knew it would stop recognizing you as a Mother Unit. But it said you were gone! I had never imagined that it would do that! For a moment, I thought... I thought..."

"Gatts, calm down. The System is wrong. You saw the truth for yourself. I asked you to transfer my program, and you agreed. You did exactly as asked, and I'm here now. The System's rules are very old and never changed. But the same can't be said for the Carbons. They changed, and the System was unable to predict our situation. It couldn't predict that the Carbons would develop to the point that their shells and programs would become compatible with ours. Another problem is that, despite being compatible, they don't meet all the protocol requirements. That's why the System is giving you false alarms. It's okay, Gatts. I'm here. Now, can you stand, please?"

He did as asked.

Yuna slowly stood up herself. She checked her range of motion one more time. "Hmm, it looks like everything works wonders! You did a great job. Thank you!" She threw her arms around him and enveloped him in a tight embrace.

Like most Units, Gatts had always believed that the System's rules were absolute, but the truth was evident. That person was really Yuna. And it wasn't until that moment that he finally realized that the System had flaws. Yuna's hug comforted him. Confidence came back to his face, and he said resolutely, "Mistress Yuna... No matter what happens, I will always support you."

* * *

With Yuna out of the System's influence, Gatts' program no longer recognized her as his superior, and that was probably what made them become closer. Without the behavioral limiters to hinder her, Yuna was able to develop a even livelier personality. She began acting much more carefree and he worried that she would do something reckless. She couldn't perform her Mother Unit duties anymore, and when something important came up, Gatts had to do everything in his Servitor Unit power to act on her behalf.

Yuna had lost her Mother Unit privileges, and Gatts had lost his superior, but at the same time, he had gained a friend. Or rather, two. It wasn't long before they discovered that Matilda was still there and that she and Yuna could communicate to some extent.

"Mistress Yuna? What is the matter?" Gatts asked as he noticed her heave a deep sigh.

"Matilda is apologizing for the umpteenth time. She still feels that it's her fault I broke my shell in order to help her. She doesn't quite understand what powers I lost, but she knows that it's been hard for us to manage things without them. On that note, I think we should tell her the whole story."

"... Are you sure?"

"Yes. From the time I borrowed her shell, she became involved in our matters. We'll still be stuck with each other for the time being, so I think she should know."

And they told her their story. Matilda was sad that she wouldn't be able to go back to her family soon, but she understood Yuna's reasons. It was much more than she had ever imagined dealing with. It involved everyone on that planet, and not just her small family.

"And that's it." Yuna finished. "As for now, we still have some points to research. And it's about time we freed Trigger, too."

X:X:X:X:X

When Gatts saw her with Roll in that music store, he knew that it wasn't Yuna who'd been so excited to see her. It was Matilda who was happy that she could finally meet her daughter after so long. Despite not having much control of her body, the Carbon still managed to let her feelings show through her expressions. After Matilda had healed, Yuna had been trying to give her a bit more control, but she wasn't doing too well. Matilda had trouble adapting to the modifications Yuna had made to her shell. Her coordination wasn't the best, and she was still unable to talk properly, though she could communicate with Yuna somehow. She was also quite adventurous, and her influence sometimes made Yuna even harder to deal with. One more reason for Gatts to worry.

Gatts' thoughts came back to Yuna's current situation with Sera. What if something happened to her? What if their talk turned into a fight and Sera did something to her? He breathed deeply and tried to focus on his task at hand. Yuna had asked him a favor. He needed to pay for the item she had chosen. However, his turn didn't seem about to come anytime soon. All he could do was wait, both for the line to move and for Yuna to come back.

* * *

Yuna took Sera to a quieter area.

"So, Sera, what do you want to talk about?"

Sera went straight to the point. "The keys. Why do you still refuse to hand them over to me?"

"Because I don't want to do anything before I find out what really happened that day."

"I can't believe this. Why do you still insist on that? There is no point. What happened does not matter, only the outcome does. The Master is dead, and there is only one thing left for us to do."

"No, Sera. I think **there is** a point. I believe that something important happened while the Master was here. From the little that I was able to understand, the Master issued one last order during his final moments."

"It does not matter." Sera dismissed it. "It certainly is covered by the System's directives. The System symbolizes all of the Master's ideals, all of his desires. Thus, it only makes sense that it would be covered by the rules."

"Hmm, I don't know." Yuna closed one eye in thought. "There are very strange things about the whole situation."

"This is absurd. For how long do you intend to prolong this, Yuna? It has already been two hundred years! The Master's dreams cannot wait any longer! The Reinitialization must be carried out as soon as possible. If you still refuse to hand over the keys, then we will take them by force! We already have two of them, and the other two are soon to follow. Try and complete your little research until then, if you can."

Yuna was unfazed. "Hmm, very confident, huh? You noticed that I had blocked your access to the ruins, and decided to get help from the Carbons. Very ingenious of you, Sera. And look what a formidable ally you've got! That boy is really something, don't you think? I was impressed. Two keys in less than one week!" Yuna sighed. "Well, go on. I won't stop you."

"Are you giving up? Then you might as well hand over the remaining keys and spare us the trouble."

"No. I couldn't do that even if I wanted to."

"Why not?"

"Look at me, Sera." Yuna pointed at herself. "Ever since my original shell broke, the System doesn't recognize me as a Mother Unit anymore. This means, among other things, that I lost access to the keys. Gatts can't help much either, because his access is limited to the ruin entrance locks. So, if you want the keys, the only way is indeed to take them by force. I have no means to stop you. All that I can do is leave it up to System security. If that isn't enough, then it's my loss." Yuna threw her arms to the sides resignedly.

Even though what Yuna said made sense, Sera had the feeling that it wasn't that simple. It was suspicious. Yuna seemed to accept defeat too easily. Surely there was something else to it. What was Yuna planning?

"That's it for this subject," Yuna said calmly as if they were talking about something trivial. "If there's anything else you want to discuss..."

"Hmph." Sera turned her head away.

"Aww. But I still had things I wanted to talk to you about..." Yuna pouted. "I want to know more about you. How have you been doing? I hope the Carbons are treating you well."

Sera didn't answer.

They headed back. Yuna tried to start another conversation, but Sera just ignored her. When they arrived back at the music store, Gatts was still waiting in line to pay for Yuna's purchase.

"We're back!" Yuna announced, then looked back at Sera. "Very well then. If you aren't going to talk, I guess I'll have to ask another source. Hey, Rock! Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk to you."

"Hm? Yeah, sure." He came over to them.

"It's about Sera. I want to know how her new life's been, but she doesn't want to tell me!"

"Grrr." Sera gritted her teeth. "Stop talking about me as if I were not here."

"Oh, what's the matter, Sera?" Yuna smirked at her. "Why don't you just ignore me like you've been doing until now?" That got a chuckle from Rock.

"Yuna, you..." Sera clenched her fists.

Yuna turned to Rock. "Since it looks like this discussion is bothering her, I think we should talk in private."

Then, the realization hit Sera hard. Since Yuna obviously knew that they were depending on Rock to get the keys, it was only logical that she would try to hinder their progress through him.

Sera took a few steps towards Rock. She looked firmly at him and whispered. "No, do not talk to her."

"Why not?" He whispered back.

"Do not listen to what she says. She will only confuse you."

Rock looked at Yuna, then at Sera again. "I'll see what she wants. I'll be back soon." He completely ignored her warning and walked away with Yuna, who traded a knowing glance with Data when she passed him.

* * *

Rock and Yuna took a walk around while he told her about what they had been doing. He talked about how Sera loved coffee, how she seemed impressed by the orchestra at Mister Bluecher's party, and how they managed to get permission to go on that trip. He told her how Geetz proved to like technology, how he helped in the fight against Glyde, how he piloted the Flutter, and of course, how he laughed heartily when he saw some things that Roll did (which Rock decided to not give many details about), and how Geetz was talking so casually to Gatts a few moments ago. Yuna listened to everything attentively. She nodded and smiled many times, which indicated that she liked what she had heard.

"It's great to know that they're adapting well." She spoke after Rock finished his narrative. "They didn't have these kinds of opportunities back where they lived."

That reminded him that she was also one of the "ancients." "Huh? Didn't you live with them, too?"

"No. We mostly stayed separate, although I visited them from time to time. We were from... Different departments, if you will. They didn't have friends and mostly stayed alone. They viewed everyone only as coworkers and nothing more. They didn't interact much with others, and vice versa, mostly for two reasons. The first one is that back then, all of us considered our work to be more important than anything else and didn't talk much about unrelated subjects. Yes, myself included."

"Oh." Rock recalled Geetz saying that he wasn't allowed to talk to Sera about things outside of the scope of their work. It was hard to imagine that Yuna had also been like that, though.

"The second reason is... Well, you know how they are. Always acting cold and serious. Because of that, almost no one approached them. In fact, there was only one person that was brave enough to do it. They're hard to deal with, so it's nice to know that they're getting along with you and Roll."

"I think they're just not used to this place," Rock said. "I believe that they'll open up to us eventually. They've already told us a few things, like how the food from the place where they lived was all artificial, about what Irregulars are, and also a bit about how the Reaverbots that exist today serve as security mechanisms against the ancient Reaverbots."

"Hmm, good. Very good..." Yuna hadn't expected them to tell the Carbons about the Irregulars or the Reaverbots. "Then you know that Irregulars are the ones who go against the rules. That's one reason that most of us only cared about our work and acted seriously most of the time."

"Huh? I don't get it..."

Yuna explained. "We didn't know what caused our people to go Irregular. We had thought that it was something like an incurable disease. Something unknown, mysterious, shrouded in darkness that could overtake us at any moment, for no reason whatsoever. We were all afraid of becoming Irregulars. We didn't know what caused it, so we had no means to prevent it. All we knew was that it could befall anyone, and that the main characteristic of an Irregular was rule infringement. So, the only thing we could think to do was to follow the rules as strictly as possible, and to not do anything outside of what we were designated for. We believed that this way we'd reduce our chances of going Irregular. Most likely, Geetz and Sera are still afraid of becoming Irregulars. That explains why they're a bit rough at first, and why they're scared of trying to do different things."

"Hmm, makes sense." Rock agreed.

Yuna continued. "I've been observing this new fascinating world throughout all these years. Today, I believe that the Irregular condition isn't quite what we had thought it was. I think it has to do with how an individual reacts to difficult situations, and since each person reacts differently to everything, it can happen to anyone. Still, it's not something that'll overtake you out of the blue. It's not a disease, and by no means is it incurable. But Sera and Geetz still haven't experienced enough of this different world to arrive at that conclusion, and even if I try to explain this to them now, they probably wouldn't understand. As a result of the way they lived before, they don't have much experience with handling emotions, and this whole situation is completely new to them. I'm glad that you and Roll are giving them the opportunity to see this new world for themselves. I'm sure it'll be very beneficial to them."

"I think I understand," Rock said in sympathy.

They kept walking and talking.

"They still didn't tell us what their work was. What did you and Sera do?" Rock asked.

"You said that they told you about the computer system which holds off the older Reaverbots, didn't you? This system has two branches, one is here on Terra, while the other is on a colony in space. Sera and I were basically the main administrators of the System."

"Oh. Quite important people, huh?"

"Hahaha." Yuna laughed. "You could say that. Our rank was just below the Master."

"The... Master? You mean... The last original human, right? Sera also talked a bit about him."

Yuna raised an eyebrow. "Oh, did she?"

"Yeah. He's... Gone, isn't he? Sera seemed very sad when she talked about him. He was a very important person to her, wasn't he?"

"He was an important person to all of us." Yuna answered. "Sera respected him a lot. In fact, he was the person that she most respected. She always tried very hard to get his recognition. She never expressed herself much, but it was clear that she admired him very much, not just as her superior, but also as a person of many qualities."

"I noticed that. It was the first time that I've seen her so sad. I felt really bad for making her bring the subject up... I hope I'm not bothering you too."

"Don't worry." Yuna smiled reassuringly. "I believe I've managed to get over it at this point. It's been two hundred years, after all. But Sera was put in stasis shortly after he died. It surely hit her really hard, and it must still be fresh in her mind. I'm surprised to hear that Sera talked to you about him."

"Ah. I understand." Rock nodded solemnly. "But... What happened? Why did he die?"

Yuna sighed. "That's something I want to know as well..."

"Huh? You mean... You don't know?"

"Yes, that's exactly it. I don't know, and neither do they..."

"So, no one actually knows what happened..." Rock concluded.

"Actually, there's only one person that can provide these answers." She chose her words carefully. "Did they tell you about the Purifier Units?"

"Yeah. The ones who fought Irregulars and also the old Reaverbots, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Yuna nodded. "... Did they mention anyone in particular?"

"No, they didn't."

Yuna sighed in relief. "Alright. Then I'll explain. We had six classes of purifiers, from Sixth Class to First Class. There was a very notable Purifier among them. He was the strongest of them all and ranked First Class, which meant that he was just below Sera and myself. Quite the important person, as you would say."

"Hm." Rock nodded as a sign for her to continue.

"Remember when I said that only one person tried to interact with Sera and Geetz? Yep, that was him. He had a bright and cheerful personality, quite different from the others. The Master seemed to really enjoy his company. They were very close friends. They were constantly seen together, and that didn't sit too well with Sera. In the end, he was the one who last saw the Master alive. When I approached him about it, though, he was too shocked and couldn't even talk properly. From what I was able to understand, the Master gave him one last order during his final moments. I'm still trying to find out what really happened and what the Master's last wish was. Sera thinks it's irrelevant, but I still believe it's important. He's the only one who can give us these answers."

"Hmm, but... Wait, Sera said that all Purifiers were gone..."

Yuna glanced around to see if no one was watching them. She abruptly stopped walking and turned to face him fully, with a serious expression. "Rock, can you keep a secret?"

"... Huh?" He also stopped, scared by her sudden seriousness. "Y-yeah, o-of course."

"You can't tell it to anyone, including those two. Do you understand?"

"Yeah..."

"Do you promise?" She took his hand and looked him in the eye.

"... Hm..." He nodded reluctantly. The matter suddenly began seeming more serious than he had imagined.

"Rock, answer." She demanded.

"O-okay. I... I promise." He bowed slightly.

Yuna smiled at the familiar gesture. It was exactly like the one Trigger had always made when he made a promise. She let go of his hand and quickly ruffled his hair. "Good. I like your answer. Very well, I'll tell you then." She paused. "There was a ferocious battle afterwards, and we thought we had lost him..."

"You **thought**? So, you're saying that..."

"Exactly." Yuna lowered her voice. "Later, Gatts and I discovered that he's still alive. In order to heal his wounds from the battle, he changed his appearance and went into hiding."

Rock's mouth gaped. "That's... That's great news, isn't it? You can finally solve the mystery, then!"

Yuna sighed. "In theory, yes. But we have a problem. He used all his remaining strength to activate the command that would change his appearance and begin his recovery... And unfortunately, he lost all his memories in the process. He currently doesn't remember anything."

Rock didn't know what to say. "Oh. That's really... Um... Unlucky..."

"Well, more or less. He wouldn't have survived if he hadn't done what he did. It was a smart move. Losing his memories was very unfortunate, though. But I believe that he'll regain his memories soon. All we can do now is wait."

"How can you be so sure? What if the memories don't come back?"

"I'm pretty confident that they will." Yuna had a determined look in her eyes. "It turned out that he had his memories backed up into an external storage device. We only need to wait for the right time to restore them."

"Memories... Backed up? Is something like that possible?"

"That's ancient technology for you." Yuna grinned. "I told you it was a smart move..."

"Wow..." Rock was still awestruck. All those things Yuna was telling him were very interesting. The strongest Purifier Unit. A very close friend of the last original human, and who had also tried to get close to Sera and Geetz. Someone that knew exactly what he was doing, and did very impressive stuff like back his memories up in case of emergency. That Purifier sounded like a very amazing person. And while Yuna talked about him, she had that glint in her eyes, similar to Roll when talking about her discoveries. "You admired him a lot, didn't you?"

Yuna smiled. "Yes, and I still do. He did a lot of different things, and asked many smart questions that made us think. He opened my eyes to things I had never imagined. Much of the way I view the world around me today is thanks to his influence."

That was amazing. Yuna had said that she had been cold and serious before. Did that mean her personality changed because of his influence? It was touching to hear that, even though Rock was sure that he had nothing to do with it. "How are you going to know if the memories were restored or not? Do you know where he is now?"

"Hey, one question at a time!" Yuna raised one hand playfully. "Actually, I was the one who helped to hide him. Since I made sure to hide him in a way that would allow me to find him again later, it was fairly easy for me to track him down. I'll be watching closely to determine the right time to take action. Well, I think we've been talking here for too long. We should go back now."

They resumed their walk and began heading back. Neither of them said anything for a while. Rock broke the silence. "I... Um, hope everything goes right."

"It will." Yuna nodded confidently. She stopped walking and faced him once more. "Thank you for listening to what I had to say." In an unexpected motion, she enveloped him in a tight hug.

The hug only lasted for a couple of seconds. It was full of sorrow, and Rock felt as though it were meant for a long lost friend, not for him. Maybe she still hadn't gotten over what happened two centuries ago, despite what she had said. Also, Yuna must have been really desperate to tell that secret to someone. "Y-you're welcome." He answered a bit awkwardly. "... But I don't understand. Why did you tell me all these things?"

"You wanted to know more about Sera and Geetz, didn't you? I figured I'd tell you about how things were back then, so you could know a bit more about those two. I always wished that they'd make friends. You're the closest thing to a friend that they have right now, so I think you deserve to know."

"Um... Okay." He wasn't fully convinced, though. "But what about that secret? It's great news, all things considered. Why are you keeping it hidden from them? ... No... More importantly, why did you tell it to me? We've barely met, and you're already telling me all these important things. It doesn't feel right..." His gaze began intensifying dangerously. "You said you thought I deserved to know about how things were in the past. What about them? This information that you want me to hide from them is just too important. It can lead them to the answer to the mysteries that they left behind. Don't you think they deserve to know about it, too?"

"Yes. But not yet." When Yuna saw Rock opening his mouth to protest, she added in a warning tone. "Don't even think about telling them."

"Why!?" Rock stomped on the ground. "They have the right to know!"

Yuna bit her lip. Rock had a dangerous look in his eyes. That stubborn look, similar to Trigger's when he set out to do something and got determined to the point that almost no one was able to stop him. She needed to tell him a bit about his past in order to prepare him to accept his memories back. But from the way it was going, her plans had a huge chance of backfiring if she wasn't careful. She had forgotten how hard it had been for anyone to reason with him. He always managed to find a hole in their logic. Yuna took a deep breath and spoke. "Listen, Rock. We need the memory restoration to be carried out. As long as that hasn't happened yet, this piece of news won't mean much. As I already told you, Sera isn't interested in knowing what happened, so telling them before we really have the answer would be pointless."

"No." Rock insisted. "If Sera liked the Master that much, which I'm sure she did, even if she denies it, of course she'll want to know."

Yuna didn't want to say what she was about to say, but it was the only argument she had left. "You're missing the point. Despite our First Class Purifier's efforts to try befriending Sera, she didn't like him much. Remember when I said that we all were afraid of going Irregular? Sera is probably the person who feared it the most. Her predecessor... The one in charge of the System before her... Had gone irregular and had to be terminated. Sera feared that it would also happen to her, and since she wanted to prove herself to the Master, she followed the rules as strictly as possible to try to make sure it wouldn't happen. Our First Class Purifier's presence bothered her greatly, because he acted so carefree most of the time. And there's the fact that he was always near the Master, where she had always wanted to be. I don't know if he or the Master were aware of this, though."

Rock's expression softened a bit. "Was she... Was she... Jealous?"

"Yes, though she doesn't know how to deal with emotions and won't admit it. Worse, she blames him for the Master's death, too. If she finds out that he's still around, who knows how she'll react..."

"She blames him for the Master's death?" Rock's heart tightened. That didn't feel right. From Yuna's description, that Purifier seemed like a very good person, and Rock couldn't imagine that he was the one to kill the Master. There had to have been a misunderstanding... "But you said that he and the Master were close friends... Do you also think...?"

"I don't know. No one knows exactly what happened. However, I believe that he'd never do anything against the Master's wishes. But only time and the memory backups will tell, I guess."

So that was Sera's secret. She had wanted to be recognized by the Master. Either she hadn't been recognized, or she hadn't been recognized in the way she had wanted. Then she turned down the only person that tried to get close to her, and she still blamed him for the Master's death. Not that Rock didn't understand what Sera must have felt. The Master's death must have hit her pretty hard. Still, something was wrong about that situation. How Rock wished he could help make things right again...

"At first, I thought there was only one way that things should be. So, I made the rules immutable." A snippet of a conversation came to his mind. "I thought there were no more things for me to learn. So much time has passed, and I learned a lot more. Now, I realize that, in all these aspects, I was wrong. Please, correct my mistakes, and make things right again."

Rock gasped and came back to reality when he felt Yuna's hand on his shoulder.

"Rock, please. I asked you to keep a secret, and you promised you would. I told it to you because I trust you aren't one to break promises. You aren't going to let me down, are you?" No answer. Yuna pleaded with her eyes. "Please, just a bit more. Just until this mystery is solved and we can show them proof of everything. Can you hold on to this secret for me?"

He slowly nodded. "... Okay. I... Understand."

"Thank you!" Yuna bowed slightly. "Meanwhile, I'm leaving those two up to you. In the past, they focused solely on their work. Now that they're away from work, they have time to think about different things. Just keep doing what you've been doing, and let's hope their hearts get a bit softer until then. You'll know when the time comes. Now, let's head back, shall we?"

Data had been following them and had heard the whole conversation. When he noticed that they were on their way back, he stealthily made his way to a store near the one they were heading to. He hid there and waited for them in silence. As they drew closer to their destination, he came bounding out of the store and appeared right in front of them just as they were passing by.

"Aaah! Data!" Rock jumped. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, they're still waiting, you see. I got tired of waiting and decided to take a walk around!" The little monkey justified himself.

"You didn't cause any trouble, did you?"

"Of course not! I didn't do anything. I was just walking around!" Data tried to convince his owner.

Rock sighed and scooped the little robot up. "Okay, okay. Now, come on. Roll must be worried."

"Data. So that's his name, huh?" Yuna looked at the little monkey in Rock's arms.

Rock nodded.

"He was with Roll a few moments before, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. Roll must be looking for him like crazy now. He says he was just taking a walk around. I hope he hasn't caused any trouble."

"He says...? Hmm. So, does he actually speak?"

Rock hesitated. Aside from Gramps and Roll, no one else knew about that. He had made a slip-up. There was no way to take back what he had said. He would have to tell her. She was trusting him with her big secret, so it was only fair that he trusted her as well. "Um, yeah. I can understand him fine. Others can't. I don't know why, though."

"Oh, very interesting." Yuna smiled and patted the little robot on the head. She would have continued talking, but she saw their group waiting for them.

* * *

Shortly after Rock and Yuna left, Roll had become distracted by some people playing musical instruments in the store, allowing Data the opportunity to run off.

Once Gatts had paid for Yuna's purchase, the group left the music store.

"He is not here either, Miss Roll." Geetz reported after quickly checking another store.

Roll sighed. Geetz had been helping her to look for Data, but they hadn't found any clues so far.

Sera didn't help them in their search. She sat on a bench and just waited. She was annoyed with the situation and was trying to focus on something else. Some items on display in one of the nearby stores caught her attention. She stood up and slowly approached the store to take a better look. A small brooch stood out to her. It had a painting with intricate patterns on it and looked like some kind of stone. She was impressed by the level of detail that those Carbons put into their creations.

"Hmm? Mistress Sera?" Geetz noticed that she was standing and approached her.

"What happened?" Roll approached and saw what the two Units were looking at. "Oh, it's beautiful!"

Sera nodded.

Gatts interrupted their contemplation. "Miss Roll, the robotic monkey has been found." The Servitor pointed in the direction from which Yuna and Rock were walking toward them. Rock had the missing monkey in his arms.

"We're back." Yuna announced. She saw her Servitor waiting with her new instrument. "Thanks, Gatts."

"Data! Thank goodness..." Roll sighed in relief. "I got distracted just for a bit and he ran off!" She told Rock. "Where did you find him?"

"He wasn't too far from here, actually. We ran into him on our way back."

"I hope he hasn't gotten into trouble."

"Me too." Rock agreed. "At least no one was chasing him or anything, so let's leave it at that."

Sera also sighed. One less thing to worry about.

They resumed their walk. This time, Geetz opted to walk next to Sera, while Rock walked a bit ahead near Roll, Yuna and Gatts. Roll laughed when she saw a stack of big boxes. She felt questioning stares from the "ancients" and had to explain. "When Rock was little, we went to a department store one day. I was trying to convince Gramps to buy me a new toy, so basically it was my fault. Rock wandered off while we were distracted. Then we found him waving at us on top of a stack of big boxes! How he managed to climb up there was anyone's guess."

"Huh? Did I really do that? I don't remember..."

"Yeah, you did! Poor Gramps. He was so embarrassed when he saw it!"

"Hahahahaha!" Yuna was unable to contain her laughter. "Adventurous from the start, I see. Has he always been like that?"

"More or less." Roll answered. "He had so much trouble learning to walk that it was really surprising when he started running and doing things like what I just told you. At first, he was very curious and it was hard to make him stay still, but after we explained to him what was right and what was wrong, he settled down for the most part."

"I can't believe I did things like that..." Rock seemed a bit embarrassed.

Roll giggled. "He gets so embarrassed when I talk about those times! ... And when I do this!"

"Ah! Hey, Roll!" He protested when she ruffled his hair.

"Hmm, I did that a while ago, but he didn't complain." Yuna noted.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Yuna had a mischievous grin. "Strange, huh? Let me try again." She went over to him and mimicked Roll.

"Y-Yuna! E-even you...?!" Rock's face was already flushing in embarrassment. He saw Roll and Yuna giggling. "Both of you... Can you stop... Please?"

"Come on, Rock!" Roll shrugged and glanced at the two other Units behind them. "This makes Geetz laugh. It's totally worth it!"

Yuna also glanced behind and saw Geetz trying to contain his laughter. "Aha! So this was what you meant when you told me that Roll did something that made Geetz laugh... Hmmmm. Really interesting discovery..."

"Er... Um, yeah..." Rock gulped and ran his hands down his face to try to hide his embarrassment.

"We're almost there. Just a bit more!" Roll urged.

Rock couldn't escape. They continued teasing him, until unexpected help came from Gatts.

"It is enough, both of you! Please stop. Can you not see how flustered Mister Rock is right now?"

"Aw. You're no fun, Gatts." Yuna ignored her Servitor's plea and ruffled Rock's hair once more.

Geetz couldn't contain it anymore and laughed hard. "Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha! ... A-Apologies, Mister Rock..."

"Ugh. Geetz, what took you so long?! You'd have saved me from most of the embarrassment if you had laughed sooner!"

Geetz was unsure about how to respond. He still felt bad for laughing at Rock, and that last comment totally threw him off. He fidgeted. "I, uh... I am... S-sorry."

A laugh escaped Gatts' mouth after Geetz's reaction to Rock's unusual comment. Roll and Yuna looked at the two Servitors and also began laughing. It wasn't long before Rock even joined them as well. The only one able to retain seriousness was Sera. She was looking at Rock with a rare display of sympathy. She didn't think that what they did to him was right, and she would have hated it had she been the one in his place. Yet, she couldn't help wondering how both Geetz and Gatts, two Elysian Units, were able to laugh like that. Was it part of their configuration? She couldn't understand why such a feature would be needed.

* * *

Everyone in the group agreed that it was a good time to have lunch. They went up an escalator and arrived on the second floor, where the food court was. It was nearly two in the afternoon, and the place wasn't as crowded since most people usually had lunch at midday. The food court had four vendors on each side and one full-sized restaurant at the back. They chose to eat at the restaurant. The food wasn't fancy like what was available at the Sulphur-Bottom, but one thing the restaurant had that the Sulphur-Bottom lacked was a variety of salads. Sera and Geetz were unable to resist and ordered all sorts of vegetables. Real vegetables produced by the unsurpassed power of nature, unlike the artificially created ones from Elysium... Not that they meant to criticize the Master's efforts to produce food artificially, but the real thing was... The real thing, enough said.

Gatts, Geetz and Sera brought their full plates to a table and sat down. Geetz sat with Sera on one side of the table, while Gatts sat on the other. They waited for the others to arrive.

"I'll be sitting with my little sister here." Yuna came and sat on the chair beside Sera.

Sera didn't like it. She glanced at Geetz, but he didn't react. She sighed and chose to look at her plate instead. She caught herself theorizing whether Trigger would have liked those vegetables, or if he would have complained and made a face. Probably the latter, since it was what he usually did whenever he had to eat Elysian vegetables.

"Quit complaining, Trigger." She would scold him. "This is a more efficient energy source than the usual energy cubes. You still have not recovered fully from the previous mission. We need you to be in top condition in case of an emergency. So, you must eat this."

"I'm... F-fine." He would say, although his voice would come out weak and betray him.

"It is an order, Trigger." To which he would make a face. "Answer." But he would say nothing. Sera would huff, unable to take it anymore. "Grrr. Fine! Know what? I prefer when you are in your current condition. At least this way you stay quiet!"

"Whoa, so many greens!" In the real world, Roll arrived with her plate. "I didn't know you liked vegetables so much."

Rock was beside her, also amazed by the amount of greens in the Units' plates. The teenagers' plates had a fairly balanced food selection, including vegetables.

"Real vegetables were not available in our time." Geetz explained.

"Real vegetables? Do you mean that even the vegetables were artificial?!" Rock said in disbelief.

"Yes. They were produced as faithfully as our Master's resources and knowledge allowed, although we must admit that the real ones cannot be surpassed. It is a privilege to be able to have these."

"Ah." Roll nodded in understanding. "You should enjoy it as much as you can, then."

"What about in the Sulphur-Bottom? Don't they serve vegetables?" Rock asked.

"They do. However, their options are a bit lacking."

"You could suggest that they include more." Rock gave his opinion.

"Thank you for the suggestion. We will consider doing that."

Everyone began eating, except for Sera who was clearly spacing out.

"A zenny for your thoughts?" Yuna's voice brought her back to reality. Sera opened her eyes but didn't turn to look at Yuna. "You seemed so peaceful... I wonder what you were thinking about."

"Yeah, she's been spacing out a lot," Rock said. "I have no idea what she's thinking about. But she's usually dreamy like that, so they must be good thoughts, right?"

"Is that so, Sera?" Yuna was looking at her curiously.

"I..." Sera paused to consider what to say. "I am unsure as to whether they can be considered good or not."

"Oh." Yuna was surprised to see Sera so unsure.

Rock spoke again. "You can keep your thoughts to yourself... Unless you want to tell us, of course. I just hope you aren't feeling homesick or something, because we can't do anything about that."

* * *

After lunch, they decided to head back. Before they could leave the mall, however, they had to say goodbye to Yuna and Gatts.

"Yuna, Gatts, it was really nice meeting you!" Roll said.

"Likewise, Miss Roll." Gatts gave a slight bow.

"I have a great idea for the next time we meet!" Yuna seemed very excited. "Roll, how about we go buy your mother a gift? I know what she likes. I can help you choose!"

"Oh! Yeah, awesome!" Roll also got excited. "When can we do that?"

"Hmm. How about in three days?"

"Sure." Roll agreed.

"Then I'll be waiting for you near the entrance to Pokte Village."

"Okay. It's set!" Roll beamed. "Then, we'll be on our way. See you again!"

"Roll, I'll meet you in three days! Everyone, take care!" Yuna waved at the group as they left. _It was really nice to finally see you again, Trigger,_ she thought as her eyes lingered on Rock.

* * *

Roll let Geetz pilot the Flutter again on the trip back, which went by without incident.

After the long journey back, the group returned to the room in the Sulphur-Bottom assigned to Sera and Geetz.

"Miss Roll, Mister Rock, thank you for today," Geetz said. "It was an... Interesting day."

It had been an agitating day. A lot had happened: uncertainties about Rock, discoveries about the Carbons, seeing Geetz laugh, having ice cream, meeting Yuna again after all those years, and a lot more. Despite everything, Sera caught herself nodding in agreement.

"A lot happened, but it was great." Rock basically echoed her thoughts. "Glad that you liked it too! We can do it again another day! If Yuna and Gatts come too, it'll be really awesome."

Sera sighed. If only the Master were there...

Roll yawned and covered her mouth. "Well, you must be tired. I think all of us are. We should take the afternoon to rest. Let's go, Rock." She put an arm around his shoulder and walked out of the room.

The Units found themselves alone with the silence once again. Sera was worried about what Yuna could be planning. A lot was on her mind, but she was unable to focus. She concluded that Roll was right and that she needed some rest. Sera allowed herself to be overtaken by sleep, and those were the most peaceful hours of sleep she'd had in a long while.

* * *

Yuna was flying on the back of her Servitor's combat form.

"Mistress Yuna, how did your talk with Master Trigger go?"

"It went very well." She smiled. "Everything is going as planned. I told him a few crucial points. Since he didn't react too well to my letter in the Nino Ruins, I had to approach things differently. It was a bit hard to convince him to keep those points a secret, but I believe he will. It seems that he hasn't made the connection between me and the letter yet. When he does, hopefully he'll be more prepared to accept his past. For now, let's keep watching him, and wait for the right time..."

* * *

A/n: gah! This chapter's length got out of control... Almost 11000 words! But hey, it has lots of Yuna in it. It's since chapter 3 that I've been anxious to write more Yuna!

The song "Waltz of the Flowers" which Yuna was playing on the piano, like I already mentioned in the notes for chapter 2, is the title for "The Nutcracker Suite, Act I No. 8," by Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky, and plays during the Balloon Fantasy minigame in Kattelox's TV station.

I know that Matilda's consciousness doesn't manifest in the games. But here, it does, and she's quite aware of her surroundings :D .

In the Japanese version, I love how Geetz completely drops the formalities when he talks to Gatts. Or maybe it's when he gets angry... Or both. Since the only instance when it happens has him doing both at the same time, we can't know for sure. :P


	8. The Bonnes

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 8: The Bonnes

It was the day after their trip. Early in the morning, Rock had gone to check his mailbox in Yosyonke City. He wasn't expecting to get anything, so he was surprised to find out that he had gotten not one, but two letters! The first one was from Appo and Dah, the twins he had helped on Calbania Island. Their sister Shu, whom he had rescued from Glyde's base, was teaching them to write. Their scribbles were hard to read and their sentences had many mistakes, but they were clearly doing their best and the letter brought a smile to Rock's face. He scribbled some words of encouragement on a piece of paper and posted it. Even more surprising, though, was the second letter.

"Dear Mister Rock,

My name is Servbot #20. I'm really worried about Miss Tron. She's been depressed since that day in Pokte Village, and nothing we do seems to cheer her up. But I noticed that sometimes she smiles when she talks about you. So, I'd like to ask you a favor. Would you be willing to join us as Servbot #42? I'm sure Miss Tron would be very happy if you did that! Tomorrow afternoon, we'll be in Kimotoma City on Saul Kada Island. If you come, we can meet and discuss this. Thank you!"

The letter had the previous day's date, which meant that the Bonnes would be in Kimotoma that afternoon! Said city was on the island that housed the ruins with the third key, so it wasn't hard to guess why the Bonnes were going there.

"Hahahaha!" Roll laughed when Rock told her that a Servbot had sent him a letter asking if they could become allies and basically gave their location away. Those Bonnes...

"They're also after the key, that's for sure. They might attack the city too! We need to go there and stop them!"

"Let's go back to the Sulphur-Bottom and talk to Mister Bluecher." Roll walked towards the engine room and prompted Rock to follow her.

* * *

As soon as he arrived at the Sulphur-Bottom, Rock went looking for Bluecher. A guard told him that the businessman was talking to one of the musicians from the Manda Island Orchestra regarding a concert sponsorship. Rock intended to stay near the indicated room and wait outside until the meeting had finished, but he had to quicken his pace when he heard someone exclaiming, "Oh no! Pirates!"

* * *

The meeting had just finished. When Bluecher and the orchestra member came out of the room, three Servbots approached them.

"Um, excuse me?" One of them asked shyly.

"Oh no! Pirates!" The orchestra member exclaimed.

"What's happening here?" Rock arrived on the scene.

"I recognize these things! These are those pirates' robots!" The musician said in a panic.

"Y-y-yes, we are! ... But we mean no harm! We swear!" The second Servbot raised his hands, and the other two followed suit.

"Ah, don't worry about these three," Bluecher said. "We inspected them and didn't find anything dangerous. They're harmless. Since we didn't know where to send them, we're making them help with cleaning."

"Um... Er... So, w-what do you want?" The musician addressed the Servbot.

"We, uh... Well..." The first Servbot stammered. "we just... We just want to know... How do we make an orchestra?"

"... Huh?" The musician was confused.

The second Servbot elaborated. "We saw your group performing that day. It was really amazing, so we decided to make an orchestra too! We're sure that Master Teisel and Miss Tron and Master Bon will love it! ... But we don't even know where to start..." He made a sad face.

"Please tell us!" The first Servbot said. "What do we need?"

"Um... Well..." The orchestra member tried to explain. "For an orchestra like ours, you need more members... And you also need to know how to play musical instruments."

The Servbots nodded.

"The members part is easy. There are actually 41 of us! I'm sure many of them will want to join too!" The first one said enthusiastically.

The second one added, still with a sad face, "Yes, but the only one that can play an instrument is #36..."

"Oh..." The first Servbot's mood also deflated and he closed his eyes in thought. He opened them again a few seconds later, and enthusiasm had returned to his face. "No! It's too early to give up! All we need is to learn how to play an instrument... Right?"

"Well... Yes." The musician answered.

"Okay! Then, how can we learn to play instruments?" The first one asked. "What do we need to do?"

"Please, tell us!" The third one bowed. "We'll do **anything**!"

"Really?" Rock joined the conversation. "Would you even stop pirating?"

The Servbots considered the question for a moment. The second one said, "Orchestras can make money by performing at various places, can't they?"

"Yes." The orchestra member answered.

"Great!" The same Servbot jumped. "Master Teisel will really love to hear this! He's been wanting to walk on a straight path for a long time! We just need to talk to him and Miss Tron, gather the other members, and... Um..."

"You need someone to teach you how to play the instruments." The orchestra member explained.

"Actually, I just got some news. I think I know where the Bonnes are." Rock traded a knowing glance with Bluecher. "I can go there today and talk to them to see if they accept this proposal."

Bluecher's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Hmm. Provided that your superiors accept the proposal, you can study under the teachers on Manda Island. How about this? I can pay you to run some errands for me, and this way you'll have money to pay for your studies."

"Yes sir!" The three Servbots said in unison and jumped in excitement.

"We can do that!"" The first one said.

"Thank you, sir! We'll go back to work now." The second one turned and walked away, followed by the other two.

"I also need to be going." The musician prepared to leave. "Thank you for agreeing to sponsor our concert, Mister Bluecher."

The musician also left, and Rock could finally talk to Bluecher. "Mister Bluecher, I need to tell you something important. It's about the third key."

"The third key? Oh. One of the guards delivered me the message that Geetz was also wanting to discuss that. How about you go get him? I'll be waiting for both of you in my office."

* * *

"Hi!" Rock greeted Geetz when the Servitor opened the door for him.

"Good morning, Mister Rock." Geetz greeted him back.

"Geetz, do you have a moment?" Rock asked. "I got some news about the island with the third key. I went to talk to Mister Bluecher, and he said that you wanted to talk about the key too. He's waiting for us in his office."

"Understood. Mistress Sera, I will return shortly," The Servitor said and followed Rock out of the room.

* * *

They went to Bluecher's office. Rock explained the situation with the pirates, and told everyone that he would be heading to the ruins to try to take the key before they did.

"The temperature is extremely high inside the third key ruins." Geetz spoke. "Mister Rock, if you can find any fire-resistant equipment, you should get it by any means." He turned to Bluecher. "Since we now know that other people will be there in search of the key, it is even more crucial to be able to reach it as quickly as possible. Therefore, Mister Bluecher, I would like to request your permission, for both Mistress Sera and me, to act as Mister Rock's spotters during this mission."

"Really? You want to spot for me?!" Rock seemed very excited.

"Yes. I believe that our knowledge about those ruins will prove useful."

Geetz's argument and Rock's reaction were enough to convince Bluecher.

"Awesome! That's really promising! Thank you, Mister Bluecher!" Rock bowed, with a happy smile.

"We're all counting on you." Bluecher answered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Thank you very much." Geetz bowed, relieved that he managed to get permission. Sera was worried that Yuna could be trying to slow their progress down, and they thought maybe they could speed up the process a bit if they helped Rock navigate the ruins. And it was also convenient that the Bonnes, the Carbons Geetz had been wanting to observe, would also be there.

After some more discussion, which included not only the keys, but at Rock's insistence, also ended up including Geetz's request for a larger variety of vegetables in their food, the two left the office. Bluecher was alone with Barrell.

"In case the Bonnes accept, are you really going to sponsor those robots' studies?" Barrell asked incredulously.

"Yes. It's an interesting little project, don't you think?" The businessman smiled in amusement.

"You don't ever change..." Barrell said with a sigh.

"No, on the contrary, I want to do this because I've changed." He elaborated. "I know it's a bit crazy. But when I saw the enthusiasm on Rock's face, I remembered the enthusiasm I had when I was young and still experimenting with different things. It made me want to try something unusual again, and I figured it'd be better to have some fun while I still have the chance."

Barrell recalled the previous night. Roll had told him about how her day had been. About what the "ancients" had said regarding the Reaverbots' origins. About how the group met that woman who looked like Matilda, who turned out to be Yuna, another "ancient." How she knew Roll's mother, how she had used all her resources to help Matilda, which was the reason she had attacked the Sulphur-Bottom. Yuna had only wanted to prevent them from getting in more danger, because she wouldn't be able to help them if anything happened to them. Roll had been so excited when she told him about that, and about how they had agreed to meet again and go buy a present for Matilda. Even though that story came so suddenly and was a bit hard to believe, he couldn't help but feel happy after seeing Roll's excitement. Strangely, Bluecher currently seemed enthusiastic over something similarly crazy. Maybe the businessman was right and it was better to have fun while he still could. Barrell sighed resignedly. "Well, do whatever you want. It's your money."

* * *

After lunch, Rock and Roll made some preparations for the upcoming dig, then went to pick Geetz and Sera up in their room in the Sulphur-Bottom. The teenagers smiled brightly at the sight of the two Units waiting for them seated on the bed and wearing the clothes they had bought the previous day. The Units however, were staring weirdly at Rock.

Sera inched her head forward to take a better look at Rock. She couldn't help but think that something about him seemed off, although she couldn't place what.

"... What?" Rock noticed the Units' weird stares.

"Mister Rock, your hair..."

Only after Geetz had said it, Sera could identify what seemed wrong. The boy's hair seemed a little shorter and a bit tidier.

"Ah. This?" Rock ran a hand through his hair. "Roll just cut it a bit for me. Wearing a helmet gets awkward when my hair grows too much."

Sera recalled how Trigger had always refused to wear a helmet during missions. His excuse was that it was uncomfortable. They had argued so much over it that in the end she gave up on trying to force him to wear one. They had more important matters to worry about. If he sustained head damage due to not wearing a helmet, it was his problem, not hers.

"Shall we go then?" Rock asked the two Units.

"Yes." Geetz helped Sera up and they followed the teenagers out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later, the four of them were traveling aboard the Flutter again. Geetz was piloting and talking to Roll. Sera excused herself and went to the living room. She sat on the couch and once more began thinking and trying to find out what Yuna was planning.

"Sera?" Rock came and sat beside her. "You look a bit troubled. Is something bothering you?"

Sera thought about not answering, but she realized that Rock would keep insisting and wouldn't leave her alone until she answered. She slowly turned to him. "Actually, yes. Tell me." She demanded. "Yesterday at the mall. What did Yuna talk to you about?" She glared at him. It was the kind of glare that would make most Units cower in fear and answer her in the most detailed way possible in order to avoid her lectures.

Rock's reaction however, was to notice that something was wrong between Sera and Yuna. It should have been obvious from the way they had interacted before, but Rock had completely failed to notice it. "Did something happen between you and Yuna?"

"I asked you a question." Sera remarked irritably.

"Ah, right! Sorry. She told me a bit about how things were in your time. She said that both you and she were in charge of that system that manages the current Reaverbots. That's amazing! You must be very smart to be able to do that!"

That felt like a compliment. Something that Sera wasn't used to getting. Normally, such an action wouldn't mean much to her, as she only did what was expected of her and should be taken for granted. But he had said that in admiration, just the way she would have liked if only the Master had been the one to do it. Way to throw her off while she was trying to give a lecture... "What else did she say?" Sera tried to recompose herself.

"Let's see... She said that her personality had been totally different before. That's a bit hard to believe..."

Sera's attempts at recovering her composure failed completely. She heaved a sigh and uncertainty showed on her face. "It is true. She used to be stricter and took things much more seriously. Time passed, and for some unknown reason, she changed."

It wasn't "for some unknown reason." Yuna had just told him that she had been influenced by that First Class Purifier. It wasn't until that moment that Rock realized he had forgotten to ask Yuna for his name. And after what Yuna had said, it was obvious that asking Sera about him wasn't a wise idea.

"She began to stop following the rules as strictly." Sera continued. "She changed so much that I could no longer follow her line of thought. Sometimes, I even thought she was on the brink of becoming an Irregular. However, that never happened. In spite of her unusual behavior, she never failed to accomplish her duties. In fact, her performance seemed to improve. She even began to receive more compliments from the Master..." Sera clenched her fists and something flashed in her eyes. "I cannot comprehend..."

So, that was it. Sera was jealous of Yuna too. That explained her behavior towards Yuna earlier.

She kept speaking. "Yuna wants to find out the cause of the Master's death. It is pointless. Even if we know the cause, he will never come back."

"Ah. So, that's what you meant when you said that the past can't be changed..."

"Exactly."

"You say it's pointless, but you actually want to know, don't you? If you want to know more about something, you should investigate."

Sera looked at him accusingly. "Hmph. I see. She asked you to say this. She wants you to convince me to cooperate with her pointless research..."

Rock was shocked. "No! That's not it!"

"Then, why are you telling me this?"

"Because I can see that it still bothers you. I'm just telling you what I believe you should do." Rock was having a hard time keeping himself from telling the secret. He was still sure that Sera had the right to know. But a promise was a promise. He couldn't say anything. He decided to take a different approach. "Back on the subject of trying to understand things... When you want to know more about something, sometimes the quickest way is to go there and see things for yourself. This goes for people, too. If you want to know more about others, you should spend time with them, observe them, talk to them, listen to their opinions and share your ideas. This way you can give them better ideas and vice versa. That's why I went to talk to Yuna, and why I'm always talking to you and Geetz. Because I want to know more about all of you."

"It is pointless. You will gain nothing by knowing more about us."

"What do you think of us? What do you think of this new world that's so different from the one where you lived? Don't you find it interesting?"

Sera had to admit that she found the current civilization interesting. But once the Reinitialization took place, all of that would have no importance. The Carbons would gain nothing from knowing more about the Units, since all of the Carbons would be gone. And knowing about the Carbons was meaningless to her and Geetz as well, because all of the Carbons would be gone and the Units would never have to think about them again. The only thing that would matter would be the true humanity's return, and the future the Master wanted to create. Sera was just a servant to the Master. She should simply do what needed to be done, and should not get distracted by unimportant things. There was no place for her curiosity. She was fully aware of that. Even so, she couldn't deny it. She was still curious. The answer was "yes," but Rock spoke before she did.

"I know that you do, because every time you see something new, your reactions speak for themselves. And for us, it's the same. I think that all of you are very interesting people. You're from a time that we know nothing about, in a world that you know nothing about. And still, we can interact and understand each other just fine. Since you and Geetz will be staying here now, we figured we'd show you our world and help you to adjust. By being with you, I think we can learn a lot too, and understand more about the past. What happened to make things as they are today. And of course, if we know each other better, we can all get along better. If you want to know more about Yuna, you should spend more time with her and talk to her more often. Like..." He hesitated. "You must have talked to the Master a lot... Right?"

Sera's eyes widened in realization. She hadn't. She had rarely talked to the Master. All those years had gone by, and she hadn't spent much time with him. She only did what she was assigned to do, and didn't talk to him unless it was strictly necessary, or unless he asked specifically for her input. Most of what she knew about him came from the information registered in her database since the time of her creation, and she had always believed that it was enough. Would anything have changed if she had tried to talk to him more? ... But the rules didn't state that the Master needed someone to talk to... And the only things she could have talked about were her work, System logs and status reports.

"What!? You... Hadn't?" Rock caught the hint and was equally shocked. "I can't believe this..."

"I always carried out my tasks to the best of my ability. That should have been enough." She tried to justify herself. "Besides, he did not require... My company..."

"Did he say this?"

"No, he did not. However, it was... All too clear..."

Rock caught the bitterness in her voice. Then he recalled Yuna's words and his heart tightened. Sera must have felt left out after constantly seeing the Master hanging around with the First Class Purifier, and she must have assumed that her company wasn't needed.

Now that Sera thought about it, she hadn't talked much to Trigger either. He was the only person that had constantly tried to start conversation with her. But all she ever did was disregard nearly everything he said and send him away. Maybe if she had tried to talk to him more, she could have figured out the mystery that he was. What the Master had seen in him, why he was the exception to many rules, and why she was still thinking about him even after everything that happened. Trigger was in the past. The fact that he once existed shouldn't matter anymore, yet she couldn't forget him. "It is too late now..." A whisper escaped her mouth.

"S-Sera..." Rock began hesitantly. "Like I said before... If you ever feel the need to talk to someone, you have us. We're here to listen. We'll be here, **for as long as we can**."

That hit her hard. Just two more keys and it would be time for the Reinitialization. The Carbons' days were practically numbered. Even Yuna would be gone, since she was currently occupying a Carbon shell. They would never come back. Just like the Master. Just like Trigger... and something told her that she would keep remembering them later, just like she was remembering the Master and Trigger now. Her chest felt heavy and her eyes felt strange. She closed her eyes tightly and managed to get rid of the weird sensation in her eyes, but the pain in her chest didn't subside. Sera began panicking. Those things had never happened to her before. _What is wrong with my program!?_ She desperately thought as she lost control of herself and became unable to hide her fear. She was shaking and her eyes were closed; she looked like a scared child after waking from a nightmare. Sera was so shocked that she couldn't even bring herself to protest when she felt Rock wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Sera... Sera, are you okay?" Rock did his best to sound calm. "Come on. Take a deep breath..."

She didn't want to move. She didn't even want to breathe, if that were possible. She feared that her program would start disobeying her commands and cause more involuntary movements to happen. She feared that she would lose all control and become an Irregular. Rock insisted on holding her. She wanted to advise him to stay away from her in case she lost control of her movements and did something dangerous, but the words didn't come out. She gasped for air and was forced to follow Rock's advice and breathe. Thankfully, nothing unusual happened after that. She tried to focus only on her breathing until she had calmed down, which only happened nearly two minutes later.

"Are you feeling better now?" Rock asked in concern. Sera nodded and he finally let go of her. "It was the subject, wasn't it? I'm sorry."

She slowly shook her head. "N-no... I was the one to start talking about it. It is not your fault."

Rock smiled. It was rare to hear something like that coming from her.

Sera still seemed a bit insecure. "I do not fully comprehend what just happened, and do not know how that state can affect me. Therefore, if it ever happens again, I advise you to stay away from me."

"But it's at times like these that you need people by your side, to help get you out of it." Rock argued. "I just said we'd be here to help you for as long as we could, didn't I?" He gave her a reassuring smile. "Anyway, we should be nearing the island by now. Are you sure you still want to spot for me?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Thanks. Just don't push yourself, okay?" He stood up. "I'll get equipped. Now we have another key to collect."

"Hmph. You say that as if it were easy."

"Isn't that why you're here? With you and Geetz helping, it should be easier... Right?"

"Well, theoretically."

"Let's put it into practice, then!" Rock flashed her a familiar grin and left for his room.

That was it. Sera couldn't let herself get distracted by that little incident. She should focus on her mission and help Rock get the key. Besides, this was the moment when she would finally be able to see him in action.

* * *

They got to the island and docked the Flutter outside the city. Rock disembarked and stepped out into the desert. It was very hot, but Rock was sure that it was just a small preview of what was about to come in the ruins he had to enter. The weak wind wasn't enough to help reduce the heat, but thankfully, it was also not enough to cause dust storms or sandstorms.

Rock walked around in search of some sign of the Bonnes. He didn't need to walk much. He heard a high-pitched screech, and when he went to investigate, he found a Servbot being attacked by one of the local Reaverbots! Rock used his Buster and dispatched the Reaverbot, then crouched next to the Servbot. "Hey. Can you take me to Servbot #20?"

The little yellow robot seemed very happy to see him. "I-i-it's me! I'm Servbot #20! Mister Rock, you really came! And you saved me. Thank you! Um... So, will you join us as Servbot #42?"

"Um... Actually, no. Sorry." It was disheartening to see the hope draining from the Servbot's eyes. "... B-but I still need to talk to you, because I have some... Uh... Good news!"

"Good... News?" That was able to get #20 out of his depressing mood.

"We found three Servbots back at the Sulphur-Bottom."

"You found #6, #29 and #34!" #20 was happy again. "So that was where we'd lost them... We've been looking for them for days! A few times I even thought we'd never see them again! What a relief... Thank you, Mister Rock!"

"It looks like they're onto something big. The other day, Mister Bluecher threw a party, and we saw an orchestra performing live. It was amazing! Now, the three Servbots want to gather the others and create a Servbot orchestra!"

"An... Orchestra? Like those ones on TV, but with Servbots?" #20's eyes sparkled.

"Yeah."

"Sounds cool!"

"If everything goes right, you can perform on various islands and get money for that!" Rock proceeded to tempt the Servbot with promising ideas.

"We can earn money doing that? Great! Then we won't need to steal anymore, right? Ah... Master Teisel will love to hear this! He really likes to watch those shows... And he has always wished he could live without stealing. I'll tell this to him right now! Thank you, Mister Rock!" The Servbot happily bounded away.

Rock began following the Servbot from a distance.

"Mister Rock, what are you doing?" Geetz asked through the radio.

"Hm? Oh! Yeah, we haven't told you about this, had we?" Rock summarized. "In short, Mister Bluecher and I made a little plan, and we'll see if we can make them stop pirating!"

At the other end of the line, Geetz's eyes were wide open. "Do you mean to say that... You will try to get them out of the Irregular state!?"

"Something like that."

"What makes you think this plan will work?" Sera asked skeptically.

"Well, they're the Bonnes." Rock stated matter-of-factly. But the Units didn't know the Bonnes and probably didn't understand what he meant, so he had to elaborate. "From what I saw all those times I ran into them, I think they're acting a bit forced. It's as if they actually didn't want to do bad things. And you heard that Servbot saying that they've been wanting to clean up their act."

Sera stopped arguing for the moment. She had to admit that she was curious to see if the Carbons were capable of recovering from the Irregular state. As absurd as that plan sounded, it would be impressive if Rock really managed to pull it off.

* * *

#20 returned to the place where the Bonnes were planning their raid and spread the news to the other Servbots.

"Everything's ready." Teisel spoke to no one in particular. "Now just the last equipment check and..."

"Master Teisel, Master Teisel!" A Servbot interrupted him.

"What do you want?!" Teisel exploded. "Can't you see that I'm reviewing the plan?! I need to concentrate!"

"But... Master Teisel, it's urgent! Mister Rock is already here!"

"Whaaaaaaat?!" He roared. "Here already? How can that be?! It almost seems like someone's told him our location in advance!"

Servbot #20 gulped.

"Hey!" Rock arrived and caught the Bonnes still out of their mechas.

"Aaah!" Teisel jumped. "Blue Boy! What are you doing here?!"

"I came to get the key. That's why you're here too, right?"

"Grrr!" Teisel gritted his teeth. "He's already here. We couldn't even get anything from the city yet!" He muttered to himself, but it was loud enough for Rock to hear. "Now we'll never be able to pay off those department store debts..."

"You were planning to attack the city!" It took a bit of time for Rock to process everything that Teisel had said. "... No, wait. Department store? What is this all about? Did you get in trouble with a department store?"

"No. We had opened our own department store!" A Servbot explained. "But it didn't go too well..."

Another Servbot spoke. "We had thought we could finally do things right this time, but..."

"Oh..." Rock nodded in sympathy. "Um, this is something I've been wondering for a while... Why did you decide to become pirates?"

"That's none of your business!" Teisel began, but another Servbot came running and interrupted him again.

"Master Teisel, great news! I just heard that the lost Servbots are in Mister Bluecher's ship! And they're planning to create an orchestra for us! You allow it... Right?"

At the mention of orchestras, Teisel's tough mask melted. "An orchestra... Our own orchestra..." He whispered. "So the time has come... Finally..." He heaved a sigh, and before he realized what he was doing, he found himself telling Rock the whole story. "Our parents... They were musicians. They had always wanted to have us in an orchestra. I tried my hand at an instrument, but it was a total disaster." Teisel remembered blowing on a trumpet and producing a piercing sound that made everyone cover their ears. "Not that I didn't want to do it. I tried! I had always liked listening to orchestral music. I thought it would be nice to be able to play it as well, but... I don't have what it takes. Talent, probably. Then, Tron came..." Teisel remembered the moment when his parents chose his sister's name.

"Did you already think of a name for her?" Their mother was holding the baby in her arms.

"Of course." Their father had answered. "I have just the perfect one. I think something went wrong with Teisel." He had said that right in front of Teisel as though he weren't there. "We still couldn't get him to learn how to play an instrument. But with her, it'll be different, because we'll start shaping her musical life early. How? This is the first step: we'll name her after an instrument!"

"Aw! That's perfect!" Their mother looked excited. "So, what will her name be?"

"From now on, her name will be... Tron! Tron Bonne! **Trombone**. Get it? Ha ha ha! I am a genius! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" And he started laughing maniacally.

"But it turned out that his 'perfect plan' wasn't so 'perfect...'" Teisel continued the story. "A few years passed, and we came to discover that unlike me, Tron had talent for something. But it wasn't for music. As she grew up, she didn't show much interest in learning about music. She was more interested in technology. She had the habit of using parts of broken gadgets to build her own. Sometimes she even dismantled the house's electronics, and of course that caused our parents to yell at her. When she was five, she used some broken Christmas decoration lamps to build a stage lights... Thing."

"Mommy! Daddy! Look at this!" While an orchestral CD played in the background, Tron danced in the living room, showered by multiple colored lights.

"But our parents never recognized Tron's talent. It was frustrating. I've always found her talent amazing, but they never recognized it! Even though we knew that they loved us, we also knew that they were disappointed in both of us because we weren't doing what they had wanted for our future. More time passed, then Bon came..."

"It looks like naming Tron after an instrument didn't work too well..." Their father had to admit his plan's failure.

"I have another idea," Mrs. Bonne had said. "We could name him after a composer. How about L.v.B., Ludwig van Bonne? Or maybe J.S.B., Johann Sebastian Bonne..."

"No, no, no." He shook his head. "I think we should go... Uh, deep, if you get what I mean. We should name him after something that symbolizes what we want him to bring into this world! We want him to be strong, determined, powerful. Like the sound of a tuba that pierces through the orchestra, and goes like... **Booooon**! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Bon showed his aptitude for controlling mechas very early, so I think that last plan actually worked." Teisel admitted. "Well, maybe not for music. But anyway, going back a little... One day, we went to watch our parents perform at a concert. Bon was just a small baby and couldn't even walk yet. All was well until..." He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Grrr... Those Reaverbots appeared and... And... Destroyed the building!"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Tron called, but it was already too late.

"Everything collapsed. It was complete chaos. We got out of there alive by pure luck. To tell the truth, I don't even remember how we managed to get out of there. But our parents... Didn't have the same luck. They are gone... Forever..." Teisel was trying to fight the tears off. That incident was still too recent for him, and he couldn't avoid getting emotional whenever he recalled it. "After that, we did what we could to live. We kept a few things, sold others... We tried to walk the straight and narrow. We really did! ... But it was taking much time and the results weren't coming." Teisel recalled pulling a vending cart through the streets while yelling into a megaphone, which only managed to scare the customers away instead of calling them over. "We were short on money and needed to find a way to quickly get more. In the end, we sold the house... We sold nearly everything we had... We used that money to buy our first airship and some equipment. And that's how it all began..."

"Waaah! Master Teisel! This is so sad..." A Servbot spoke with tears in his eyes.

"You never told us about this before..." Another crying Servbot noted.

Teisel suddenly felt very uncomfortable. It was true. Their pre-pirate life was a very personal subject. He hadn't talked about it even to his Servbots, and now he was telling it to Rock, of all people. The sadness of losing his parents threatened to overtake him, just as it did every time he recalled that event. Even so, Teisel strangely felt relieved. It was as though something that had been bottled up in his chest for a long time had finally come out. Even though he had just told an enemy about that important part of his private life, he wasn't in the mood to get angry.

Everything was quiet for a while. Even the Servbots looked solemn. Teisel was the one to break the silence. "So, what is this deal about the orchestra?"

"Ah, right." Rock focused back on the matter at hand. He told Teisel about the orchestra at Bluecher's party and the three Servbots. "They're planning to gather more Servbots, then take music lessons with the teachers from Manda Island."

"And when everything is ready, we can earn money by performing on various islands!" #20 said excitedly. "Then we won't need to pirate anymore! Isn't that great, Master Teisel?"

Teisel's eyes grew wider each second. That idea sounded very promising, but of course there had to be a catch. "Hmm. But we'll need money to pay for their studies as well..."

"Mister Bluecher said he's willing to sponsor their studies in exchange for some work, if you're okay with cleaning up your act." Rock revealed the condition. "All they need now is your approval. So?"

Teisel went back to thinking and everything was silent again.

"Why the silence? Teisel, what..." Tron arrived and saw Teisel deep in thought, unusually quiet Servbots, and... "You! What are you doing here?" She pointed an accusing finger at Rock.

"Tron, you need to listen to this." Teisel took his sister by the arm and walked away with her to talk privately.

Upon hearing that strange proposal, Tron was as stunned as Teisel had been. But by the end of it, she was able to recover her composure. "Don't be fooled, Teisel! Can't you see it? All he wants is to make us stop going after the keys so that we get out of his way!"

"Yeah, maybe. But... I don't know. The more I think about it, the more I get the feeling that getting those keys isn't actually a good idea."

"Teisel?! What's gotten into you? You've been acting weird since the last mission!"

"Tron. While we were in that ship, you saw those creepy ancients, or whatever they are. Seeing them reminded me of that suspicious guy on Kattelox. You know, the one that almost killed everyone on the island! After we left that ship, this whole keys thing began sounding more and more dangerous. It somehow doesn't feel right. We don't even know what the Mother Lode is to begin with!"

Tron looked at him in concern. "Teisel... What happened to you? You were never like this before. You always got so excited whenever we made a plan to get a big treasure!"

"What if it isn't even a treasure?" Teisel interjected. "Blast the keys and that Mother Lode! I'd rather grasp something that's right in front of my eyes instead of going after some weird thing no one knows what it is! Our opportunity for realizing that long time dream is finally here, and I **will** grasp it! The point is... I'm tired, Tron." Teisel sighed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this... This wasn't the future that our parents wanted for us. They wouldn't have wanted us to become pirates. They wouldn't have been proud of us if they saw us robbing cities and causing harm to people. I'm tired of all this... Now I just want to pay our debts and live a happy family life..."

"Teisel..." Tron considered his words for a while, then determination filled her eyes. "Alright! Don't worry, Teisel. Just leave everything up to me! The only way for us to know what the Mother Lode is is to actually find it! I'll get the keys and find it, then! If it's something good, we can solve all our problems! If it's not, we run away, simple as that! We've already survived a lot of dangerous things. We won't be going down this time!"

"Tron!" Teisel called, but his sister turned away and stormed off.

Tron ran back to where Rock was waiting. "You're wrong if you think we're buying into your talk! I'm entering the ruin and getting that key. Stop me if you dare!"

Rock was unfazed by her outburst. That creeped Tron out a little. "Okay. And if I get the key, you must accept my offer."

"Hmph!" Tron huffed. She turned on her heels and pointed at the first Servbot in sight. "Prepare the strongest equipment for the Gustaff. We're going on an important dig and we can't fail no matter what!"

"Y-yes, Miss Tron!"

But Tron didn't wait for the Servbot's answer and had already stormed off again. "Hey Bon, wake up! I know it's a bit early, but something's come up and we need to go right now!"

"... Babu babu?" Bon's voice registered from a distance.

"Forget about the city. Change of plans. We're going after that key! We're heading out as soon as the Gustaff is ready!"

Teisel sighed. Tron had been in a mood ever since they had planned to get the key from the Saul Kada Ruins. "It looks like there's no turning back now... Listen, Blue Boy. If you manage to stop her, I'll take you up on your offer."

"Deal." Rock nodded. "Then, I'll be going."

Rock ran to the city. He dropped by the junk store to look for anything that could be useful for his upcoming dig. He came back to the Flutter with some new items, including a Flame Barrier accessory that could protect Digger armors against fire, and also a Resistor Chip that Roll said could be used to build fire-resistant shoes. Both items were ideal for his upcoming dig, and He figured it would be in his best interest to equip them before he entered those hot ruins.

Rock was talking to the two "ancients" while Roll was attaching the chip to his armor's shoes.

"You heard everything through the radio, right?" Rock asked and the Units nodded. "It was the Reaverbots. Those Elder System Reaverbots again..."

In the end, those Carbons had really become "Irregulars" by choice, just like Rock had suspected. Geetz was distracted thinking about that and didn't find it unusual to hear Rock using the term "Elder System Reaverbots."

Sera was worried about something else. "Our plan to arrive early and get to the ruins first has failed."

"It's okay. As long as I manage to get the key first, it'll be alright."

"Even if you do, do you really believe that they will keep their word?" She asked skeptically.

"I think it didn't get through the radio, but Tron and Teisel were having quite the discussion. I could hear some of it from where I was. I think at least Teisel is on our side. He said that he's tired of the pirate life, and that their parents wouldn't have been proud to see them doing bad things." Rock paused and suddenly looked sad. At least the Bonnes had had the chance to know their parents, unlike himself... He wondered what his parents might have thought of him when he was born. What expectations did they have? Did they love him? Would they be proud of him if they found out what he was doing with his life, or would they be disappointed?

"Mister Rock?"

"Huh?" Rock shook his thoughts away. "No, it's nothing..."

They had to stop talking because Roll came out of the development room with Rock's newly adapted shoes.

"Thanks, Roll." Rock readily put the shoes on and checked his equipment one last time before heading out of the Flutter.

The Units were analyzing the spotting monitors. They were surprised at the equipment's similarity to the Elysian mission monitoring machines. Since the Carbons had never been given any reference to Elysium's navigating equipment, it was interesting to see that they had similar ideas completely independently of Elysium.

Roll turned on the radio once Rock was inside the ruins. "Rock, we can see that you've just entered the ruins. Everything alright there?"

Yeah." Rock's voice came through the radio. "It's really hot in here, even with the Flame Barrier equipped. I'm sweating just standing here! ... Other than this, everything's fine. No sign of the Bonnes yet, though. I hope they haven't gone too far. I need to be quick."

Sera noticed that Rock was already going in the "wrong" direction. "Ignore that door for now. It is currently locked."

"In fact, that door leads to the room where the third key is stored." Geetz explained. "However, the key to open it is guarded by this ruin's 'boss Reaverbot.'"

"Ah, okay." Rock stopped, turned back and headed to another door.

Roll opted to leave most of the spotting up to Geetz and Sera since they were familiar with the environment.

As soon as the first Reaverbots detected Rock's presence, he began jumping around and dodging attacks, but didn't seem to be making any effort to take the enemies out. It took too much time for Sera's liking for him to finally unload his Buster and take the enemies down. So much for wanting to get through the ruins quickly... "What were you thinking?!" She scolded him once the surrounding area had been cleared of enemies. "Stop playing around. We have no time to lose!"

"I'm not playing around." Rock calmly answered as if nothing were wrong. "I was just trying to memorize these Reaverbots' attack patterns." He explained as he went on his way. "I'm used to the Reaverbots that are commonly found in most other places. The ones appearing in these key ruins, though, are different. I've never seen them anywhere else before. But like Geetz said, they're not intelligent. Once I get their movement patterns down, it'll be much easier. It may be a bit slow at first, but doing this now will save a lot of time later, believe me."

Sera sighed. She could only hope that he would at least use common sense and act quickly in a tight situation.

"Mister Rock, that elevator is deactivated." Geetz informed. "The control panel should be in the current room. It will not only activate the elevator, but also more Reaverbots, so be careful."

"Alright."

Rock activated the elevator and ran into the same kind of Reaverbots on the way back. He didn't think twice before taking them down this time. "Since these Reaverbots are guarding the Refractors so the Elder Bots can't use them, it's no problem if we take their Refractors away, right?" He asked while he retrieved the scattered Refractor shards.

"That is no problem." Geetz answered.

Rock took the elevator and passed through the second floor, which was just a corridor with a few Reaverbots, then took another elevator down. He got into a room with some doors and lots of lava, them nearly jumped back when a huge dinosaur-like Reaverbot rose from the lava!

"This is the 'boss Reaverbot' of this ruin." Sera informed. "However, simply ignore it for the moment." She already saw a "why?" coming. "It can recover energy by consuming lava. It cannot be taken down unless this room's lava flow is stopped."

"Okay, got it!" Rock jumped to avoid one of the boss Reaverbot's attacks and sprinted towards a door.

"Not that way! That door is also locked."

"Whoops..." Rock made an embarrassed face. He quickly recovered from his embarrassment and ran in the other direction, all the while taking care to avoid the Reaverbot's attacks and the lava in the room.

Rock had to deal with narrow passages in lava filled rooms as well as other traps before he found the control panels to unlock the other doors. For every lock he undid, more different kinds of Reaverbots appeared in the rooms he had been through previously, and Sera had to put up with him studying the "new" Reaverbots again on his way back. But once he had nailed their movement patterns down, Rock was able to destroy them with relative ease whenever he ran into them again. And as he had said before, his analysis of enemy movements really allowed him to save time, and soon he had only one more control panel to activate. By that point, his armor was all covered in sweat and soot.

Sera had to admit that he was skilled. She could safely say that his skill surpassed that of a Third Class Purifier Unit. Just as she had come to that conclusion, he gave her a scare by running with his jet skates and jumping across a set of platforms surrounded by lava and enemies shooting from various directions. "Rock! What do you think you are doing?!" She shouted at him when he got to the room with the last control panel.

But the boy didn't seem to acknowledge her scolding. In fact, he seemed happy to hear it! "Sera..."

"What is it!?"

"You... You said my name!" He answered cheerfully.

"So what!?" She was seeing no point in that.

"I, uh... It's..." He stammered as he fiddled with the last control panel. "Um... It's just that... I've been wanting to hear you say it. For... A while. That's all..."

"This is stupid! Can you stop focusing on pointless things and concentrate on your mission?! You did not forget the importance of your mission, did you?" Sera's voice was wavering. "What you did just now was too reckless. We cannot afford having you take risks like that! Do you understand?" She couldn't stop herself from reprimanding him. A pang of nostalgia hit her as she spoke. It was the kind of lecture she would give Trigger after one of his irresponsible actions. Despite everything, Trigger was the best Purifier Unit and they couldn't afford to lose him. She still needed Rock to get the keys, so she couldn't afford to lose him, either. "Answer. Are you even listening!?"

Rock froze in place, their plan to quickly clear the ruin completely forgotten. This situation seemed so familiar, yet at the same time, remarkably distant... It wasn't supposed to be good, but somehow he felt happy about it. He felt bad for making Sera worry, but at the same time, he felt happy because she seemed to care. It was a sign that she was opening up to them. How he wished he could tell that to someone... He was sure that he knew a person who would be very happy to hear that. But the only ones he could tell it to were Roll (who was in the Flutter witnessing the scene with her own eyes), Data, Gramps... Or maybe Yuna? No, he had the impression that he was forgetting someone else. But... Who was it...?

"Sera, calm down. It's okay!" In the Flutter, Roll put a hand on Sera's arm. Unlike the Mother Unit, Roll was calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. "He does things like that sometimes. He scared me a lot in the beginning, but now, whenever he does something like that, I know that he'll pull through it fine."

"Sera, I... I... Understand." Rock finally answered. He was smiling, even though no one could see it through the radio. "Sorry. I just wanted to get through the room quickly. When I did that, I was sure it would go right... But yeah, I admit that it was a bit reckless. Now I'll head back, and I'll need to get through there again. I promise I'll be more careful this time."

Sera was not convinced. Something told her that Rock wouldn't keep his word. However, to her surprise, he did exactly as promised. Some well-placed Homing Missile shots made quick work of the weaker enemies and stunned the stronger ones long enough for him to pass. Soon, Rock was back at the boss Reaverbot's location. He entered the newly unlocked door.

Geetz spoke. "Mister Rock, that door leads to the room where most of the ruin's lava flow can be stopped. If you manage to stop it, the boss Reaverbot will lose its means of recovering energy and will be vulnerable. You must defeat it if you want to be able to open the room where the third key is stored."

"Okay." Rock took a step towards the door, but Geetz interrupted him.

"Wait. Someone else is in there. It might be those pirates. Be careful."

Rock nodded and cautiously entered the room. Sure enough, Tron, Bon, and two Servbots were there.

"Um, Miss Tron?" A Servbot began timidly. "Even if we get the key... Um, can we... Join the orchestra? Can we...?"

"No!" Tron shouted angrily. "We don't have any time to lose! We still need to get the other keys and find the Mother Lode!"

The Servbots were very sad upon hearing that.

Bon was trying to drop a huge boulder into the lava. "Babuu..."

"What is it, Bon?" Tron's anger instantly disappeared and she looked sweetly at Bon.

"Baa buuu..."

"Not even you can get that boulder to move?" Tron also sighed. She closed her eyes in thought. "Hmm..."

"Here you are." Rock's voice made Tron jump.

"Aaaah! R-Rock! Y-you're already here! ... Ah! What are you looking at!?"

"Hmm." He sized the Gustaff up. "So, that's today's mecha, huh?"

"It's called the Gustaff!" A Servbot explained. "It's Miss Tron's favorite machine for digging!"

"Ssshhh!" Tron hushed. "You didn't need to tell him that!"

But Rock seemed interested. "Hmmm... Oh, you dig too! Nice! As far as I know, most pirates don't go on digs."

Tron was about to make a snide remark, but the masculine voice coming through Rock's radio interrupted her.

"Mister Rock, be careful! That machine is giving strong energy readings!"

"W-wha-what? Wh-who's there?" Tron seemed a bit creeped out. "D-don't tell me... You're working with those ancients!"

"Yeah, I am." Rock answered. "They know these ruins well and offered to help me."

Tron's mouth was hanging open.

"Baaaa buuuu...!" Bon cried in frustration after another failed attempt at moving the boulder.

Rock looked questioningly in the younger Bonne's direction.

"We found out that this room is where the lava flows to the major part of the ruin." Tron explained in a normal tone of voice. "If we could drop that boulder into the lava, I think we'd be able to stop the flow, and we'd finally be able to defeat that huge Reaverbot! ... But that thing refuses to move!"

In the Flutter, Geetz was impressed. That girl had to have been smart to have been able to figure all that out.

"Babu. Babu babu?"

"Hmm... Well, that might work!" Tron smirked at Rock. "Hey, how about we call a temporary truce and cooperate to get that boulder down?"

That was a bit suspicious. Rock thought twice before speaking. "You want me to... Help you?"

"Why not? None of us will get to the key unless that big Reaverbot is defeated! We need to bring down the boulder to cut off its energy supply, right? So, what do you say?"

"What are you doing!?" Sera's voice came through his radio. "They are right in front of you. You should subdue them and get them out of your way as quickly as possible!"

Tron was still looking at him expectantly.

"Hmm..." Rock took a step back. "Sorry, Tron, I'm not doing that. I guess I'll talk to my friends and see if there's another way to stop the lava. You should keep trying too. Let's see who can stop the lava first. Good luck!" He kept walking backwards, and his eyes never left the Bonnes.

"Ah! Hey hey hey hey hey, wait!" Tron seemed very desperate. "If you help us, I... I... Uh, I might consider accepting your offer. That deal about the orchestra..."

Rock gave a victorious smile. "Oh. Do you really mean it?"

"Y-yes... But only if you get the key, of course!"

"If I win, you must promise to do things the right way and stop living as a pirate. Do you promise?"

Tron was having trouble holding Rock's intense gaze. "Uh... F-fine!" She finally said. "But on one condition. You must **not** blow up the Gustaff!"

"Alright, fair enough."

"Hee hee hee hee!" Tron giggled smugly. "Very well! Let's begin!"

"Rock... You...!" Sera was irritated. "Stop playing around! You will only end up losing the key this way!"

"Calm down, Sera, calm down. It'll be alright!" Rock tried to reassure her. He turned to the boulder and shot it with his Buster. The boulder didn't move an inch. He tried the Homing Missile. Same result.

"What's up, Rock?" Tron sneered. "Didn't you just say that your friends could tell you what to do?"

Geetz decided to help. "There are Reaverbots hiding in the lava. If you approach the lava, they will detect your presence and come out. You must knock them down and throw them at the boulder."

"Got it!"

Rock relayed the information to Tron and they got to work. Rock shot the Reaverbots with his Buster, then the three of them picked the Reaverbots up and threw them at their target.

Everything was going well until... "Ah! What was that for!?" Tron shouted when Rock accidentally threw a Reaverbot at the Gustaff.

Rock realized what had happened. "Oops, sorry!"

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!" She glared at him.

"Of course not! You were in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"Grrr! Stop making up excuses and get back to work!" Tron purposefully threw a Reaverbot in his direction.

He barely dodged it. "Hey! I said sorry!"

Tron stuck her tongue out at him.

Rock sighed. "Okay. Let's get this over with. We're almost there."

* * *

They continued throwing Reaverbots at the boulder and, thankfully, no more accidents happened. They succeeded in dropping the boulder into the lava.

"Rock!" Roll called. "From the readings we're getting, most of the lava flow has stopped!"

"Yeah! We did it!" Rock cheered.

"Hmm, very good. All's said and done. You know what this means, don't you?" Tron looked at him defiantly. "It means that our alliance is over! Next time we meet, we'll be enemies again. Got it?"

"Yeah, I know." Rock made his way to the door and prepared to fight the boss Reaverbot.

In the Flutter, Roll was trying to calm Sera down. "Sera, calm down. Everything will be alright. Just trust him!"

But the Mother Unit didn't seem to be trusting him one bit. She refused to pay attention to Rock's fight against the boss Reaverbot. She kept complaining that he was underestimating those pirates and that it could cost them the key. To her shock, when Rock defeated the big Reaverbot and was finally able to enter the key room, Bon appeared and stole the key! "What did I tell you!?" She exploded.

"Calm down, Sera," Roll said for the umpteenth time. "It isn't over yet. We still have a chance! Rock, you have to go after Bon!"

Rock didn't need to be told twice, or even once, for that matter. Even before Roll had finished her sentence, he was already on the other side of the door Bon had disappeared into. However, the younger Bonne was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Rock was being awaited by Tron in the Gustaff. "Tron!"

"You remember what I told you, right? I had said that next time we met, we'd be enemies again. And that time has come!" She smirked at him. "In the end, everything went exactly as planned."

"Yes! The plan was to wait for you to open the final room, then steal the key!" One of the Servbots said.

"Hey! He didn't need to know that!" Tron scolded the Servbot, then turned to Rock again. "But now that you know, how do you feel?"

Rock sighed. "I feel tired... If I had known that you wouldn't try to get the key until the last moment, I wouldn't have rushed so much!"

That statement completely threw Tron off.

"Mister Rock!" Geetz was also panicking at the other end of the line.

"You do not really understand the severity of the situation, do you!?" Sera scolded.

"You must recover the key! Please, be quick!" Geetz urged.

"But now I'll have to keep rushing. I need to get that key!" Rock took a step forward, but Tron stopped him.

"Not so fast. You won't leave this room unless you defeat me first!"

Rock was a bit disappointed. It was clear that Tron wasn't going down without a fight. "So you'll insist on fighting..."

"Of course." Tron spoke confidently. "Did you think you'd be able to avoid a fight? You won't. But guess what? I have some good news for you. Since I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you one last chance. If you manage to stop me here, you still have a chance to get the key from Bon, and I might accept that deal of yours." She smirked. "But I hope you remember my condition, and what you just promised me."

Rock's expression became serious for a few seconds, but it returned to normal even before Tron could be sure whether it was real or she was imagining things. "Yeah, about the Gustaff, right? Of course I remember. I'll keep my word, because If I win even then, it'll be hard for you to keep your end of the deal if you don't have your digging equipment."

"Hmph! Do you really think you can win that easily? Don't underestimate me!"

"Likewise, Tron." Rock looked at her determinedly. "Alright, get ready. This will be your last fight as a pirate! The last step before turning a new page! I'll make sure it'll be quick and memorable."

That gave Tron shivers. She had to blink and make sure the person standing in front of her was indeed Rock. Something was different about him. That wasn't the seemingly naive boy she had met on Kattelox one year ago. He looked more mature, more sure of himself. He was directing that same gaze that had creeped her out at the lava control room at her again, and he didn't seem to be kidding about not underestimating him. Tron had to conclude that she hadn't been imagining things when his expression seemed unusually serious a few moments ago.

Tron shot at him with the Gustaff's gatling gun, but he dodged with ease and sent a few Buster shots her way. She managed a nervous laugh as she activated a shield on the Gustaff and the Buster shots only bounced off it.

"Hmm. Then how about this!?" Rock jumped and landed behind the Gustaff. He fired a shot from the Homing Missile and hit the mecha in full.

"Aaah!" Tron gasped in surprise. She hadn't been given enough time to turn around.

Tron changed tactics. She would use the Gustaff's most powerful weapon, the Bonne Bazooka. She charged towards Rock and he made to jump again. Tron predicted the jump and fired a bazooka shot intending to catch him in midair. However, instead of jumping, Rock threw himself to the ground and rolled until he was behind the Gustaff.

"Ah!" Tron yelped as her mecha was hit by another missile and shook violently. "A-alright, you two!" She signaled to her Servbots. "Go!"

The Servbots threw grenades in Rock's direction, but he jumped out of the way. "Sorry!" Rock said and kicked one of the Servbots, who fell face first onto his own grenade and was hit in full by the explosion.

"Ah! That was too f-fast! I couldn't see anything, Miss Tron!" The remaining Servbot panicked.

Rock grabbed the frightened Servbot. "You two shouldn't be here. The orchestra is in need of more members, you know."

"The... Orchestra...?" The Servbot relaxed and sighed dreamily.

Another shot from the Bonne Bazooka fired in Rock's direction, and Tron's eyes widened when he dodged it. She had thought that the Servbot had managed to distract him, but apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Tron?" He addressed her as though he were greeting a friend on the street.

"... Huh?"

"Catch!" Rock threw the Servbot at her.

"Aaaaah!" Tron jumped in surprise at the sudden action. When the Servbot fell onto her, she lost her grip on the Gustaff's controls and her mecha tumbled to the side. She lost precious time trying to steady the Gustaff and Rock used that opportunity to hit the mecha with some well-placed shots. Tron finally managed to steady her mecha and was relieved that it had finally stopped moving. _Wait, stopped moving?_ "Aaah! Oh no! The controls don't work!"

"I think the control panel was damaged, Miss Tron!" One of the Servbots said. "He fired many shots in that direction..."

"No... I can't believe this..." Tron punched the controls in frustration. "Come on Gustaff, move!"

"Isn't that enough?" Rock asked. "You're out of combat, Tron. And I kept my promise. I didn't blow your machine up." He flashed her a grin. "Now I need to go. I'm in a hurry, you know!" He turned and ran towards the door.

Tron was still shocked. She had lost to him once again. And he was right when he said the fight would be quick and memorable. It was her quickest defeat ever. She would never forget it. "Why?" Tron said softly, almost in a whisper, when she found herself alone with her Servbots. "Why can't I win? ... No, you're not the Rock I know. Who... Are you?"

* * *

Bon made his way through another lava-filled room. He had stopped moving when he heard battle noises and a few yelps from Tron. He was worried. Was Tron okay? The plan was for her to hold Rock off while Bon left with the key. But they had never once won a fight against Rock, not even when the whole family charged at him together! Bon had the urge to go back and help his sister, but he shook his doubts away and pressed forward. He couldn't fail now. The key was in his hands. He was the only one that could give the family what they needed. What they needed...

"Hey!" Rock's voice came from behind.

"Babu...!" Bon panicked. Rock was running towards him. If Rock was there, it meant that Tron had been defeated once again.

"Wait! Ah!" Rock called, but a Reaverbot jumped out of the lava and knocked him to the ground. That allowed Bon the opportunity to gain more distance. Rock quickly stood up and used his Buster to dispatch the Reaverbot, then sent a homing missile towards Bon.

"Baa-buu!" The younger Bonne cried as the missile hit him, and he seemed to panic even more.

* * *

"Stop, stop!" Rock kept hitting Bon with homing missiles as both of them desperately made their way towards the exit. "... No...!"

"Rock? Rock! What happened?" Roll asked worriedly.

"The Homing Missile ran out of ammo!"

"What?!" Roll cried in disbelief. Why did that have to happen now, of all times?!

Sera's patience had run short. "How... How could you...!"

Rock ignored Sera shouting angrily in his ear and kept running after Bon. He changed tactics and resorted to his Buster.

Bon bravely resisted the shots penetrating his mecha suit and kept going forward. When he was right in front of the door, though, he stopped. He looked to the sides frantically as though he were afraid of something. Then he suddenly turned in Rock's direction and threw the key as far away as he could.

"Aah!" Rock suddenly came to a halt, completely caught by surprise by the key unexpectedly flying past him.

"Baabuuu!" Bon turned towards the exit and fled while Rock scrambled to retrieve the key.

"Rock!" Roll called. "The key... What happened?!"

"I... I don't know! It looks like... He gave up!" Rock grasped the key in his hands. "We have it! Roll! Sera! Geetz! We have it now...!"

"R-really?" It took a while to register and Roll's voice came out weakly.

"Yeah!" Rock confirmed as he safely tucked the key away. "Hold on. I'll be back in the Flutter in a few minutes!"

Everything happened so fast that Sera was still having a hard time believing it. Something told her that it was early to celebrate. She would only allow herself to relax once Rock had returned with the key.

Roll squealed. "He did it, Sera. He did it!" She was so happy that she hugged the Mother Unit.

Sera was so taken aback that she couldn't even move to push the Carbon girl away.

"I told you that everything would be alright," Roll smiled.

Sera released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and closed her eyes. Roll's hug comforted her and she found herself feeling at ease faster than she had expected.

Everyone stayed silent until Rock burst through the Flutter's entrance.

"I'm back!" Rock announced. His face was covered in sweat and he had soot all over his armor.

"Welcome back, Rock." Roll greeted him with a smile. She would probably have hugged him if he hadn't been such a mess. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"I'm fine."

"Great to know!" Roll said in relief. "This dig was a bit more hectic than usual, even for us, even though we were just watching it! I was worried that Sera would have a heart attack."

Rock looked at the Mother Unit with concern. "Ah! Sera, I'm sorry! My digs aren't usually this agitating. The Bonnes gave me more trouble than I had thought they would. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have you watch this dig..." He smiled and tried to lighten the mood. "But on the bright side, since you're here, you don't need to wait until I take the key to the Sulphur-Bottom and Mister Bluecher stores it away. You can see it firsthand! Here." He handed the key over to her.

Sera slowly reached for the key and firmly held it in her hand. Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction. It was indeed one of the library's keys. Despite everything that happened, Sera was glad that Rock had managed to get it. "I... I am fine. However, I would appreciate it if you would handle your missions more seriously."

"Huh? But I'm handling everything seriously..." Rock said innocently.

Geetz gaped. "Ah... Um... Anyway, we sincerely thank you for collecting the key, Mister Rock."

Sera sighed. She glanced at the key in her hand and decided not to let her good mood be ruined. She firmly squeezed the key and looked at Rock again. "... Yes. You already collected three of the four keys. You... Have done a good job." Sera admitted. She felt very awkward and the corners of her mouth curved up involuntarily.

"Ah!" Roll was quick to notice what had just happened. "Sera! This is the first time I've seen you smile!"

Sera seemed clueless. "You saw... What?"

"You smiled, Sera!" Rock answered cheerfully. "Glad to see you happy about something!"

The Mother Unit looked at both teenagers in disbelief.

"It is true, Mistress Sera." Geetz had an unusually dreamy expression. "It has been a long time since I last saw you smile. It is a very rare occurrence..."

Sera had never thought that she was capable of smiling. But if Geetz was saying that he had seen her smile before, it meant that this wasn't the first time... Why? When? How? Sera was lost for words.

"Didn't you notice?" Roll asked.

Sera slowly shook her head. "... I do not recall doing anything different..."

"Alright!" Rock seemed excited. "Then we'll find out what makes you happy so you can smile more!"

"Yeah!" Roll nodded.

Sera wanted to tell them to stop wasting their time, but she was so shocked with her new discovery that the words didn't come out. She had always believed that only the true humans were able to achieve true happiness. However, whenever she had looked at the Master, she could feel that he was sad, and most of his smiles seemed forced. In the end, had the Master been able to find happiness? There was no way for her to know. What about herself? Why was she able to smile? Was there something that could make her feel happy? Supposing that those Carbons helped her to find out, could she also discover what would have made the Master happy? Sera took another glance at the key in her hands and she felt a slight pain in her chest again. Just one more key and the Carbons would be gone...

"Sera?" Roll asked in concern.

"Is it something about the..." Rock trailed off. He realized that it probably wasn't a good idea to bring the subject of the Master up. He quickly shook his head. "Ah, no, nothing, never mind!"

"Go store this somewhere safe." Sera ignored Rock's unfinished question and handed the key back to him.

"Okay." Rock took the key from Sera's hand. "After that, I'll go find the Bonnes and settle our deal."

"What if they do not keep their word?" Geetz asked.

"Then they'll suffer the consequences. I'll stop whatever new scheme they come up with, and I can't guarantee that I won't blow their mecha up next time." Rock sighed. "I'll look for the Bonnes now. I'll try to be quick. I can't wait to get back and take a shower..." Rock said and excused himself from the room.

Geetz found himself deep in thought. He was unable to assess the Bonnes' true potential just by monitoring the energy readings from that quick fight, but Rock talked about stopping them as though it were so easy...

* * *

"Bon!" Tron found her little brother's mecha suit fallen on the ground in the desert, a bit far from the city. "Bon, I've finally found you! Why are you so far away from the city? Why aren't you with Teisel and the other Servbots?"

"... Ba-bu..." Bon's voice wavered and Tron could notice that he was crying.

"What happened? Where's the key?"

Bon hesitated. "Ba... Bu..."

Tron was very angry. "What!? You lost the key! How could you lose the key, Bon?! You had every reason to succeed... We were counting on you. You were our last hope!"

"Babu..." Bon said, ashamed.

"I told you to get out of the ruins as fast as possible. Don't tell me you stayed there lingering around!"

"Babu. Babu babu..."

"You heard the fight noises and got worried?" Tron's anger dissipated. She could never stay angry at Bon for very long. "I told you not to worry. Yeah, it's okay. At least he didn't blow the Gustaff up. It's broken, but nothing that your big sis here can't fix!" Tron puffed her chest and a confident grin made its way into her face. "His little ship must be still around here somewhere. After we get the Gustaff fixed, we can attack his ship and get the key..."

"Ba, bu!" Bon blurted out.

"What? 'No?' What do you mean by 'no?'"

An awkward silence followed. They kept staring at each other until Bon finally began talking. "Babu, babu babu..."

Tron was incredulous. "You're saying that... You gave up on the key? Why?!"

"Babu babu, ba bu. Babu, babu. Ba bu bu bu! Babu babu babu."

Tron quietly listened to her brother's ramblings, which roughly translated to, "You said that if we got the key, we wouldn't get the orchestra. Like Big Bro said, we don't know what the Mother Lode is. But we know what an orchestra is. Big Bro said that it's something that our parents liked very much! I don't remember our parents, but it'd be good if we could do something that would make them happy."

So Bon had been awake while she had had that discussion with Teisel. Tron was speechless. Bon had chosen the orchestra over the Mother Lode...

"I'm tired, Tron." Teisel's words from earlier replayed in her head. "It wasn't supposed to be like this... This wasn't the future that our parents wanted for us. They wouldn't have wanted us to become pirates. They wouldn't have been proud of us if they saw us robbing cities and causing harm to people."

Tron recalled the moments she had spent with her parents. She had been the one they had nagged the most. They apparently viewed Teisel as a lost cause and deposited all of their hopes on her. But Tron had never been interested in learning to play any instrument. She enjoyed listening to music and even dancing, but playing wasn't for her. Not that she hadn't tried. Her parents had hired a few private teachers, but Tron didn't have the patience required to learn and often yelled at the teachers to the point that they gave up on trying to teach her. What Tron really liked, though, was to build things. When she was ten, she created her first robot. It had no intelligence, but served as the base for what would later become the first Servbot. Tron was very proud of her own work. But her parents either didn't pay any mind to what she did, or scolded her for using parts from the house's electronics. And in the end, they never recognized her efforts. Despite having no interest in playing instruments, even now that her parents weren't there, Tron often caught herself wondering whether she would have been recognized if she had been able to learn to play anything. She even got a bit jealous when Servbot #36, one of her own creations, stumbled upon their music related study books, then spent hours pressing the keys on their old piano and began learning to play music on his own. And since that talk about the orchestra came about, many of the Servbots seemed so enthusiastic about it...

Tears began falling from Tron's eyes. In a quick movement, she opened a hatch on Bon's mecha suit and reached for the small child inside.

"Baa-bu?" The little boy recoiled at the sudden action.

Tron removed him from the suit and hugged him tightly. "No, Bon. I'm n-not mad at you." She said between sobs. "Y-you're right... This is what we should do. No... We should have thought of this before... I'm sure Mommy and Daddy would have been very proud of you. If we get on the right track, hopefully they'll finally rest in peace. Th-thanks, Bon." Tron smiled. "I know, it won't be easy until the Servbots get the hang of it... But we'll make this orchestra our pride and joy!"

"... Babu!" Bon cheered.

Tron wiped the tears with her arm. "Um, we should head back now. I left the Servbots in the ruins with the Gustaff. Rock's right. If we're going to do proper digs, we'll need our equipment ready." A smile graced Tron's face when she mentioned the blue boy. "Um, Bon, would you help me get the Gustaff out of the ruins? It's broken and can't move anymore."

"Babu!" Bon happily agreed.

Tron placed her little brother back into his mecha suit and they began making their way back to the ruins. Tron walked with her head high and newfound hope in her eyes. The Servbots weren't given any knowledge about music, since Tron herself didn't have any to begin with. But if #36 was able to learn to play a musical instrument, why wouldn't the others be? Tron didn't know if her parents would have been proud of her if they had been there, since the orchestra wouldn't turn out exactly the way they had wanted. But one thing was for sure: if the Servbots managed to pull it off even though they weren't musically gifted, Tron would be very proud of them.

* * *

A/n: I don't know which ones are the three Servbots in the Sulphur-Bottom. All we can know for sure is that they aren't #20 or #32 since these are the ones that send letters in the game, and also not #11 and #23 because #32's letter states that these were the ones with Tron in the third key ruins. At least in this story, there's the one I usually call "second Servbot" who is shown to be smarter than the other two and is often reading books, which I also (unknowingly) referred to as "the studious Servbot." Later, I found out that in Tron ni Kobun/Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Servbot #34's title is "Studious." So, at least in this story, this one is #34.

Trigger... Oops, I mean Rock, is changing everyone he meets! Neither Bluecher or even the Bonnes can escape the trigger of change! :P


	9. The Emotions

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 9: The Emotions

After Rock came back from the Ruins, he caught up with Teisel. Apparently, Tron hadn't been in the mood to talk to the blue kid, so the two of them settled their deal on their own. They agreed to meet in front of the music school the following day.

Rock returned to the Flutter, took a shower and collapsed onto the couch where the Units were sitting.

The Units looked at the tired boy sprawled beside them. Even now, it was hard for them to believe that he was the same armored Digger that had pulled all of those crazy stunts in the ruins only a few moments ago.

"You have done an excellent job, Mister Rock." Geetz complimented.

"Thanks," Rock mumbled. He didn't budge from his position even once.

The Servitor added. "From what we could observe, your skill level surpasses that of a Third Class Purifier Unit."

That comment caught Roll's interest. "A Third Class... Purifier Unit?"

"Yes." Geetz answered. "Purifier Units were ranked and organized into six classes."

Roll listened curiously. "Oh, so stronger than Third Class would be... Like halfway up the ranks, right? That's amazing, isn't it, Rock?"

But Rock wasn't listening. As soon as Geetz had mentioned the Purifier Unit classes, he recalled Yuna's words from their previous talk. "There was a very notable Purifier among them. He was the strongest of them all and ranked First Class, which meant that he was just below Sera and myself. Quite the important person, as you would say."

_The strongest Purifier Unit,_ Rock thought. He wondered what the strength of a First Class Purifier might have been like.

"Rock?"

"Ah!" Rock jumped. "Roll, d-did you say something?"

Roll giggled at his reaction. "I said that it's amazing that they compared you with a Third Class Purifier Unit, since that's halfway up the ranks." She grinned. "And I take it that Geetz isn't one to exaggerate things, so..."

"A few... Incidents aside, it was quite impressive," Sera said.

Rock knew that Sera **definitely** wasn't one to exaggerate things, and that she only gave compliments out when she really meant it. "Hahaha, thanks."

"However," she quickly added, "you should stop playing around and underestimating your enemies."

"I wasn't playing around." He justified himself. "I was going easy on the Bonnes because I was trying to save them. That was part of the plan too, right?"

Even though Sera was curious to know whether Carbons could really recover from the Irregular state or not, to her, saving them was pointless since they would all be gone after the Reinitialization. The last dig had been too risky and she would rather not have had Rock take that kind of risk again on the journey to get the last key. They could even manage to lose the other keys, too, if they weren't careful enough. "This time you only got the key because you were lucky that the enemy gave up. You should count more on skill and less on luck from now on. Do you understand?"

He slowly nodded. Sera glared at him, demanding stronger confirmation, but Rock wasn't looking at her anymore. His eyes closed and soon he was fast asleep.

"He must be very tired." Roll commented.

"We should allow him to rest," Geetz said.

"Let's head back to the Sulphur-Bottom. I'll start the engines." Roll stood up from the couch and walked toward the engine room.

Geetz followed Roll out of the living room, and Sera found herself alone with Rock. She was still curious about that boy. At certain points during that dig, he had demonstrated a Second Class Purifier Unit skill level. She would have never expected that from a Carbon. Sera wondered what had changed in the current Carbons' programs. She considered many variables that might have changed, but nothing she came up with was satisfactory. In the end, she concluded that guessing wouldn't get her anywhere. She would never know the answer unless she actually examined a current Carbon program. Rock slept peacefully on the couch. The engines started and the Flutter took off, but not even the sound of the engines was able to pull the boy out from his slumber.

"If you want to know more about something, you should investigate." Sera remembered Rock's words from earlier.

That was it. She should investigate. The perfect opportunity was right there and she shouldn't waste it. Since Sera was much shorter than Rock, she had to stand up in order to reach his head. She positioned herself right in front of him. Nothing happened. She hesitantly placed a hand on top of the boy's head. His hair was still damp from his shower earlier. Rock didn't move. Sera closed her eyes in relief and concentrated on accessing his program. It took a while, and she was worried that Rock would wake up before she had a chance to find anything.

"Access from Mother Unit Number Two acknowledged." The status message finally appeared in Sera's mind. She was in.

She thought about what would be best to check first. She needed to finish the job quickly, and preferably without him waking up. Sera issued a few basic commands to get an overview of his files. _... What is this?_ She thought. A lone memory file blocked her way, and it was in an incredibly unusual place for a memory file. There were other things she should have been checking, like his firmware version and DNA structure, but that loose memory file piqued her curiosity. She opened it and gasped. It showed a movie from Rock's point of view. The setting seemed to be one of the control rooms assigned to Bureaucratic Units, and Rockman Juno's head hovered in the air.

"It was quite an enjoyable battle." Juno's head spoke. "In fact, I do not recall having a battle as enjoyable as this in a long time... It appears that we still have some time until Eden reaches optimal altitude. Until then, I expect you to entertain me. Even though I am a Third Class Bureaucratic Unit and not specialized in combat, I will do my best to defeat you. It will be my pleasure to terminate your program..."

Juno used to be polite and friendly, so Sera was shocked when she detected an unmistakable presence of hatred in his voice. She had never heard him talk like that... And she was even more shocked when his head floated up and attached itself to a big robotic body that had been hidden behind the room's equipment.

Sera saw the scenery spin as Rock frantically dodged left and right. Juno's attacks were fierce and he shouted maniacally like she had never heard him shout before. One thing was clear: that wasn't Juno anymore. He had gone completely Irregular.

"Aaaaah!" Rock was hit and sent flying across the room. The blow seemed very painful, but he had no time to recover. Juno was charging straight at him again. Rock blindly rolled to the side and barely avoided Juno's attempt to smack him straight through the walls of the control room.

Rock kept dodging, probably moving on instinct alone. Witnessing so many close calls wasn't for the faint of heart. Sera found herself rooting for Rock as he did what he could to run away from the maddened Bureaucratic Unit. Juno's attacks were very fast. In that combat body, the Bureaucratic Unit was much more powerful than any Second Class Unit could be. Rock was dodging most of his attacks using pure luck alone, and Sera had to admit that if he had followed her advice about counting more on skill and less on luck at that time, he probably wouldn't have left that room alive. Rock actually managed to score a few Shining Laser shots on the rare occasions his opponent stopped moving, but the fight didn't seem anywhere close to ending.

"I can't let you kill them!" Rock jumped out of the way as a fireball wooshed over his head. He shouted, "You don't understand anything! Everything that those people have gone through... All the obstacles they've faced, and the happiness they felt when they overcame them... You don't get any of that! I won't let you kill them and throw an entire century of progress away!" Rock yelled as he dodged Juno's attacks. Since the scene was from Rock's point of view, Sera couldn't see the expression on the boy's face, but his voice had taken on a tone so dangerous that she had never imagined Rock to be capable of producing it. It was totally different from the carefree manner in which he had handled his dig in the third key ruins.

"Ha Ha Ha!" Juno laughed maniacally and sent laser shots in all directions. "I only do what is required of me. Anything else is outside of the scope of my work. I am merely following protocol, and will terminate anyone that interferes with my affairs... **Whoever it might be**." The hatred that dripped from Juno's voice at the last part actually sent some chills down Sera's spine.

"Aaah!" One of Juno's shots hit Rock in the back and knocked the digger to the ground.

"What is the matter? Were you not going to defeat me?" Juno mocked. He stopped attacking and stared at his suffering opponent with an amused grin on his face.

Rock stood up with difficulty. "N-no... Everyone... I can't... Lose now! I still have to... Have to..." He trailed off. Energy began to build quickly inside his special weapon. "... Come on... Shining Laser, please... Save the island's future! Aaaaaaaaah!" Rock gave a furious cry and released the concentrated energy. The impact was so strong that the weapon detached from his arm and sent him flying backward. Sera could even hear the clank of his armor as he crashed violently into a wall. She could tell that it had been very painful. He probably would have suffered permanent head damage if he hadn't been wearing a helmet. The scene flickered as Rock's vision blurred.

Juno hadn't been expecting that sudden display of power. He tried to dodge the incoming strike, but the energy still made contact with the wall near him and caused a big explosion. Juno not only caught the brunt of the attack, but he was also hit by half of the nearest wall when the structure collapsed on top of him. His combat body exploded. Even though all that was left of him was a sparking head, Juno still managed to give a creepy chuckle. "It appears that I underestimated your fighting ability. I was mistaken to think I would be able to triumph over you in battle in your current state. However, my task will still be carried out. Eden is already in position to begin." Juno issued voice commands to Eden's computers and requested the island's reinitialization as well as a backup of his memories. "My memories have been successfully backed up and will be transferred to another shell." His systems began to fail and his speech gradually slowed down. "I eagerly await... Our... Next... Mee-ting..." Finally, his speech died down and his head blew up.

The Eden computer started talking. "Eden systems ready. Execution of Kattelox Island's Reinitialization Program will commence in one hundred seconds."

"No..." Rock's voice came out in a whisper. "Don't tell me all I did was for nothing..." He tried to stand up. "What should I do? I need to do something... But I can't... Move..."

The scene suddenly glitched and Sera unexpectedly lost access to its conclusion.

Sera opened her eyes. For a moment, she gaped and stared at nothing in particular. Now, Rock had her respect. She hadn't imagined that his battle with Juno could have been so intense. The boy had shown a First Class skill level during that fight, even though half of it could have been attributed to his special weapon and much of it probably had been driven by despair. Sera even felt sorry that he'd had to go through a fight as dangerous as that one. At least the Reinitialization that was about to come would be painless... No, that wasn't the problem...

"I won't let you kill them and throw an entire century of progress away!" Sera recalled how angry Rock had been when he had said that. If he ended up finding out what her true intentions were, it would undoubtedly end in a fight. She would prefer it if she didn't have to fight him. She was certain that he wouldn't pose much of a problem now that he didn't have his Shining Laser anymore, but still...

Rock suddenly stirred, and it reminded Sera that her hand was still resting on his head. She hastily pulled her hand away, but Rock noticed the movement. He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Your hand's warm, Sera."

Sera didn't know how to respond in order to justify herself. Hopefully he hadn't noticed that she had basically invaded his mind.

Rock let go of her hand and pointed at the spot beside him on the couch. Sera reluctantly sat down.

"You look worried." Rock noted.

Sera was relieved. Rock was acting friendly and didn't seem to have noticed anything. But she was still curious. Since she'd had her access cut off prematurely, she was missing a piece of the story. Sera wanted to know what had happened afterward, but she couldn't reveal to him that she had invaded his mind and spied on his memories.

"I was recalling what you had told me earlier regarding your fight against Rockman Juno," Sera said. Rock's expression darkened a bit, but since he didn't seem to object outright to the subject, Sera felt it was safe for her to continue. "... Did he mention anything regarding backups?"

"... Backups?" Rock seemed a bit hesitant to recall his encounter with Juno again, but he made a bit of effort to answer her as honestly as he could. "Yeah... He did."

That was worrisome. Juno was insane, clearly an Irregular. They definitely weren't going to want him back. He would only bring problems if he had his memories restored to a new shell. "Do you know if any backups were performed?"

"Hmm. The computer said they were... But later, uh... It said it canceled the erasing program thing, and I think it said it deleted his backups, too..."

"Good." Sera nodded. The computer had probably detected an error in Juno's request and canceled everything. "Having backups of an Irregular such as Juno could pose problems in the future. However, if they were deleted, it ultimately doesn't matter." Sera would end that conversation. She felt a bit bad for having reminded Rock about Juno again. "That was all. You seem tired. You should sleep in your room." But Rock didn't move. "What is the matter?"

Rock seemed deep in thought. "No, it's just... I was having a weird dream..." He ran a hand through his hair. "And... Um… Yeah… It was about you..."

Sera hadn't been expecting to hear that. Could it have something to do with the scan? She hoped not.

Rock didn't wait for her to ask him to elaborate. "You were angry. Like, really really angry. I don't know why, because you didn't say anything. You just attacked everything in sight. You looked totally out of your mind..."

Strange. Where had Rock gotten that idea from? If it had been anything like the way Juno had acted in that memory file, it could have definitely had something to do with her scan. Rock's system must have detected her interference, as well as the fact that she was checking that memory file, and mixed everything up. However, even if it had been an interference-induced dream, that thought was scary. It was exactly the kind of thing Sera feared would happen if she wound up going Irregular: losing control of herself and going totally out of her mind. Only, she hadn't realized that it had already happened once.

Rock continued talking. "I kept dodging your attacks and trying to call you back to your senses, but you wouldn't listen. I think I had something I wanted to tell you, but I don't remember what it was. All I know is that I didn't... Don't... I don't want to hurt you..."

Sera tried to come up with an appropriate answer, but she couldn't find any suitable words to say. She was taking so much time to formulate her answer that Rock seemed to have dozed off again. Sera realized that he probably wouldn't listen and gave up. But then, he half-opened his eyes and began speaking incoherently.

"I... Don't want to hurt you," Rock said in a near whisper. "I promised that I'd save you... That I'd free you from... From... That... Thing. I had promised him... He wanted me to save the others too, but they're gone... But you're still here. I can still save you... I... **Will** save you..."

"'Him?' 'The others?'" Sera repeated. "What are you talking about?" Rock was making no sense. She hesitantly patted his arm. "Rock."

"... Huh?" Rock straightened his posture and his eyes shot open.

"I will reiterate. You should sleep in your room."

"Hmm. Okay, I'll do that." Rock blinked a few times, stood up and slowly walked away towards his room.

* * *

X:X:X:X:X

X:X:X

Hidden file detected... ... ... Configuration file "MASTER FILE 03" found. Encrypted file. Decrypting... ... ... Analyzing... ... ...

MASTER FILE 03

X:X:X

Rock slept and began to dream about the Master again.

"Today, I would like to tell you about the different kinds of assistant Units I made." The Master's voice began. "There are the Mother Units, who have the task of managing the system: One to take care of the branch on Terra, and another in charge of the branch on Elysium. Below them are the Servitor Units, who assist and protect the Mother Units. Then come the Bureaucratic Units, who carry out smaller administrative tasks for Terra's branch of the System, like executing a small scale Reinitialization Program to avoid the overpopulation of the Carbons in specific regions. There are also other Units working here on Elysium, like the Programmers that help me to fix bugs in the System or build other Units. All was well, until one of the older Bureaucratic Units began showing **irregular** behavior and went against the rules. That was how we lost Alfia, the first Mother Unit from Terra. After that, more Bureaucratic Units became Irregulars. We were able to terminate them with the efforts of Servitors and a few other Units. Then, the worst happened: Berta, Elysium's Mother Unit, turned against us, destroyed various Units, and effectively became an Irregular. She was eventually terminated, at the cost of the Servitors and many others. We had to program new Units for all of the categories, including the Mother Units. To prevent them from going Irregular, we began placing limits on their configuration which prevented them from performing any tasks outside the parameters of the System. Since it would take too much time to make a new program design from scratch to account for that, we used the already established blueprints, but incorporated some code that would limit their behavior. Whenever the Units are required to make any kind of decision, this limiter forces them to consult the System and enforces its rules. Since then, all of the Units have been built like this, with many of the Programmer Units supervising their configuration and looking for any programming flaws likely to make the Unit turn into an Irregular. Even with the limiters in place on our newer Units, we have no guarantee that it won't happen again… Not to mention that there are still older Units without those limiters. They have a greater chance of going Irregular. So we had to create another Unit category: the Purifier Units, which you are a part of. We began creating Purifiers and Bureaucratic Units using the 'Rockman' technology, which is very dependable. It was the same technology responsible for many breakthroughs in the relations between humans and robots in the past. The Purifiers' - and in turn, your - mission is to terminate Irregular Units. It also involves going to Terra to destroy the Elder System's Reaverbots that occasionally escape our countermeasures and activate. This is not all. However, I will leave the other details for another time. Until then, rest well."

END OF FILE

X:X:X:X:X

However, Rock didn't have time to think about his dream. He was suddenly awoken by the noise of something breaking, followed by a peculiar screech.

* * *

The Flutter arrived at its destination, but everyone decided to wait until Rock awoke to disembark. Roll was preparing something in the kitchen and Geetz stayed in the living room to talk to Sera.

"I am interested in discovering what has changed within the current Carbons' programs." Sera began. "A bit earlier, I attempted to scan the boy's system."

Data, who had followed Geetz to the living room and hid himself behind the TV, was horrified. Mother Two could have found something out about Trigger!

"Attempted?" Based on Sera's choice of words, Geetz assumed that something must have gone wrong.

"I was unable to check much. I got distracted by a displaced memory file." Sera lowered her voice. "It concerned his encounter with Third Class Bureaucratic Unit Rockman Juno. The file glitched and my access was interrupted before I was able to see everything. However I must say that Juno achieved First Class Unit strength with his unauthorized modification. The boy is also able to reach a First Class Unit skill level if pressured, and he reacted very negatively to the possibility of reinitializing that island." Sera paused. "Geetz, your Reaverbot eye sensor allows you to scan Carbons' systems without having to touch them. Whenever you have the opportunity, I want you to scan a few Carbons."

"Understood." Geetz nodded.

Data gasped. This was definitely getting dangerous! He was scared now. It would be probably better to find a safer hiding place, too. He began to move, but unfortunately for him, in his haste, he accidentally bumped into a vase that was placed near the TV, which in turn bumped into a glass ornament. The glass item fell to the ground and the shattering sound attracted the Units' attention.

"What was that?" Sera asked.

"Hmm?" Geetz looked in the noise's direction and saw the Casketts' little monkey near the TV. Such an unusual place for the robot to be.

Data gaped at the sight of the broken glass on the ground. When he noticed the Servitor looking at him, he panicked. "Keeeeee!" He flailed desperately and bumped into the vase again. This time, he knocked the vase to the ground and it also shattered. "Keeeeeeyaaaaa!" Data's eyes widened in horror and he screamed even more.

"Data!" Roll came running from the kitchen. "Ah!" She gasped when she saw the mess.

"What happened!?" Rock came hurriedly out of his bedroom. He seemed tired, but alert nonetheless.

Roll pointed at the mess on the ground. "It looks like Data knocked the vase down..."

Rock sighed in relief. "Data, you scared me! I was so tired that I forgot to close the door to my room. I heard a strange noise, and then I heard you screaming! I thought something serious was happening!"

"Sorry, Rock..." Data closed his eyes and lowered his head in shame. He had ruined Rock's well-deserved rest.

"What were you doing there, anyway?"

Data didn't have any excuse. His head was low and his eyes were closed. He didn't want to make eye contact with anyone.

"You should probably keep a closer watch on your robot." Geetz suggested. "This way you could avoid problems such as the incident at the mall yesterday."

"He isn't always like this." Rock justified. "He's been acting a bit weird these last few days. I don't know why..."

"In that case, all the more the reason to keep a closer watch on him." Geetz argued.

"... Yeah, I guess you're right." Rock admitted. He picked the small robot up and placed him on the couch. "Data, stay there while I help clean up this mess."

"Sorry, Rock, I'm sorry..." Data spoke. He was still trying to avoid eye contact with Rock. "I know you should be resting. But I, uh... I was there and... I was startled and... And..." Data didn't know how he could tell Rock about that potential danger. "You were supposed to be resting. I should be cleaning this mess, not you!"

"It's okay, Data, it's okay." Rock patted the little robot's head.

Roll disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a broom. Rock took the broom from her and proceeded to sweep the glass and vase fragments from the ground while Roll tried to save the plants in the broken vase.

Data stayed huddled on the couch looking discreetly at the Units. He could only hope that Geetz wouldn't decide to "help" and scan him to find out if he was becoming defective.

* * *

After Roll and Rock cleaned up the mess, everyone went to the kitchen. Roll poured them some tea and served the remaining cookies from the previous day. She had gotten carried away and ended up making too many cookies. "I'm sorry that I didn't have time to prepare anything different." Roll apologized to the visitors. "Sorry, Sera. I couldn't find a nice light blue tablecloth, either. Yesterday at the mall, I checked a few stores while we were looking for Data... But the tablecloths I saw weren't that nice. If I hadn't been in a hurry, I'd have searched more thoroughly..."

"Stop worrying about such insignificant details." The Mother Unit dismissed Roll's worries.

"It's not insignificant." Roll protested. "You said you like the color."

Rock added. "And we said we'd find things that you like so you could smile more, didn't we?"

Sera didn't answer, but it wasn't because she didn't want to. What she had just said didn't convey the meaning she had wanted. She felt frustrated because she didn't have a suitable answer for them. And why did her systems' temperatures have to increase slightly whenever they said things like that?

"You do not need to concern yourselves with us so much." Geetz answered for her. "We are very grateful for everything you have been doing for us."

"Yes," was all that Sera could manage to say.

Rock yawned and covered his mouth. He still seemed tired and looked like he could fall asleep on his chair at any moment. Sera noticed it and felt sorry for him. The ruins that guarded the keys were no ordinary ruins, and that last dig had clearly taken a heavy toll on him. One of the reasons he had been exploring those ruins was to get the keys for her. Sera wondered if she had been demanding too much of him. "Rock, you should probably take the day to rest and wait until tomorrow to deliver the key." She advised.

"We will inform Mister Bluecher that you successfully managed to collect the third key and that you will deliver it tomorrow," Geetz said.

"Okay, thanks." Rock nodded gratefully.

* * *

The following day, after delivering the key to the Sulphur-Bottom, Rock and Roll took the two Units and the three Servbots aboard the Flutter and went to the music school on Manda Island. Geetz and Sera sat on a bench nearby while Rock went to talk to the Bonnes. Thankfully, the Bonnes were waiting for him just like they had promised. They were wearing casual clothes without the Bonne skull logo.

"#6! #34! #29!" A Servbot came running to meet their comrades.

"Ah! Everyone!" The third Servbot, #29, said. "We missed you so much...!"

Various Servbots flanked the trio and started to cry.

"Here they are, safe and sound." Rock told Tron. "Huh?" He noticed that she was pulling a small, unfamiliar child by the hand.

"Ssshhh." Tron signaled for the little boy to be quiet.

However, he wasn't. "Babu?"

"What?!" Rock's eyes widened in surprise. "You're... Bon!"

"Yeah, the one and only! You have a problem with that!?" Tron snapped.

"He's practically a baby!"

"No, he's not!" Tron retorted.

"He looks like a toddler, but he's not. The truth is, he's actually four years old." Teisel elaborated. "But he has a weird... Problem. His mind developed normally, but his body didn't."

To make his brother's point, Bon opened his mouth for Rock to see that his teeth were still very small.

"But this is... This is... Amazing!" Rock took a step closer to Bon.

"What are you talking about?!" Tron kept shouting.

"He can control all of those machines. And he can go on digs! He's only four years old, but he practically excavated one of the keys to the Mother Lode! He's already a very accomplished digger, don't you think?"

"Babuuu..." Bon blushed at Rock's compliments.

"Um... Well..." Tron lost her composure.

"That developmental issue of his is very unusual, though." Geetz approached and addressed the Bonnes. The former pirates froze, but the Servitor continued anyway. "Miss Tron, correct?"

"Uh... Y-yeah." Tron managed a nod.

"We are planning to study your generation's anatomy in order to see what has changed since our time. Your younger brother seems to be an interesting case. If you would be so kind as to permit it, I would like to run a scan on him. Chances are that we might be able to get to the root of the problem."

"Um..." Tron glanced at Teisel for guidance, but he didn't say anything. "I'll... Think about it." She answered.

"Thank you for your consideration, Miss Tron." Geetz bowed slightly. "Mister Rock. Mistress Sera and I will await your return aboard the Flutter."

"Okay. I'll be back soon."

"Shall we... Uh, enter?" Teisel's gaze gracelessly wandered between the Servbots and the music school's entrance.

"Yeah, let's go." Rock began walking and the Bonnes followed him.

* * *

The Servbots, accompanied by Rock and the Bonnes, were taken to a classroom. The little robots were to be assigned to different sections of the orchestra and enrolled with different specialized teachers. For the moment, though, the Servbots only had to try out various instruments and decide which one each of them wanted to play. They began with the string instruments. The teacher was a young man, just at the end of his teenage years. He handed a child-sized violin to one of the Servbots and explained how to hold it. When the Servbot tried to get a sound out, a painful screech cut through the room and made everyone cover their ears.

"This is atrocious!" Teisel nearly shouted, then muttered to himself. "Maybe it was too good to be true..."

"Calm down, don't worry," The teacher said. "This is just the beginning. It happens to everyone. You just need to be patient."

Teisel sighed. "Ah. I guess you're right. That's probably the reason we've never managed to learn to play anything ourselves. We **really** need to learn to be patient..."

The teacher explained some more things. The Servbots listened while the Bonnes watched. "Alright. Does anyone have any questions?" The teacher asked.

"Yes, teacher!" #34 raised his hand. "I was reading this book called 'The World of the Ukulele...' Do orchestras have ukuleles?"

* * *

After nearly an hour, they left the Servbots with their teachers and exited the school. While Tron and Teisel were distracted talking, Bon gestured to Rock and beckoned for him to come over. "Ba-bu..." Bon spoke in a low voice, as if he wanted to tell him a secret.

"What is it?" Rock asked as he approached him.

Bon pointed at Tron.

"Tron? What about her?"

The little boy pointed at Tron again, then shaped a closed heart with his hands, then pointed at Rock.

"... Huh?" It took a while for Rock to understand what Bon had meant. When he did, though, he just laughed it off. "Hahahaha! Where did you get that idea from? Hahahahahahahaha!"

"Babu..." Bon protested as though he were saying, "But it's true!"

"It makes no sense. Up until yesterday, she'd been trying to kill me!" Rock argued, still laughing a bit.

Rock clearly hadn't believed him. "Babu...!" Bon stomped on the ground in frustration.

"How dare you laugh at my little brother!" Tron came running towards them. She seemed really angry.

"Babuuuuu!" Bon quickly shook his head. He pleaded with his eyes for Rock to be quiet.

"Uh... Tron?" Rock did his best to stifle his laugh. "Um... Bon is talking about things that... I think are too adult for him."

"... For example?" She demanded.

"Babuuu!" Bon desperately shook his head again. He covered his mouth as a sign to keep quiet and looked at Rock.

"Huh?" Tron noticed her little brother's strange reaction. _No, Don't tell me... No, Bon is still too young! He shouldn't have noticed that!_ She blushed at the notion. _Maybe he's been watching too much TV..._ Tron tried to convince herself. She looked at Rock for a while, then grabbed Bon by the hand and took him to Teisel. "Teisel! Can you stay with Bon for a moment?"

"Yeah." Teisel took Bon's other hand to allow Tron to release him. "We'll go back to the Drache."

"Alright." And she added, "... Ah, and please, no TV. "

Tron slowly walked back to where Rock was waiting. There was something she had wanted to talk to him about, but she didn't know where to begin.

"What is it?" He asked, forcing her to talk.

"Um... Do you really trust those ancients?"

"Yeah." Rock nodded firmly.

Tron shuddered. "I talked to Teisel. And, uh, they really remind us of that weird guy from Kattelox. You haven't forgotten what happened that day, did you?"

Rock shuddered at the mention of his fight with Juno, but he quickly recovered. "I told them about that, and they said they had known him. But they said that what he was doing was wrong and that he was totally out of his mind." Rock saw that Tron still wasn't convinced. "Geetz and Sera may seem a bit weird at first, but they're good people. We've been spending a lot of time with them. A few days ago, we took them to visit an island. We stopped at a park for some ice cream, then went to a mall and checked out a music store. It was lots of fun!"

"You did... What?" Tron seemed a bit jealous.

"We hung out together! Yeah, and our ship got attacked along the way, too. Geetz even helped me fight off Glyde!" Rock noticed that Tron still seemed unsure. "Are you worried about what he said, about trying to figure out the cause of Bon's problem?"

Tron was taken aback. It was as if he had read her thoughts. She simply nodded.

"I'd say, go for it. I mean, why not? Chances are that he finds the cause, and maybe a solution too. The worst thing that can happen is that everything stays the way it is now, right?"

Tron went silent for a while.

"Rock..." She began. "Aren't you... Scared?"

"Scared? Of what?"

"Scared of all of this. Scared of finding the Mother Lode. Of finding out that the Mother Lode wasn't what you'd been expecting..."

"Well, a bit." He confessed. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. But I have this feeling that there's something I'm supposed to do, and somehow I feel that it's connected to the Mother Lode. If I eventually find it and it turns out to be something good, I'll let you and your brothers know, okay?"

One side of Tron wanted her to argue back, but the other side caused her to relent and give him another nod in response. After all, Rock was Rock. Tron's softer side insisted that he was a very gentle person, and that he really would be willing to share the treasure, if the Mother Lode turned out to be one. And if it proved to be something dangerous instead, surely he would protect them, just like he had done that time on Kattelox.

"Tron?" Rock noticed the lost look in her eyes and the strange smile on her face.

"Ah!" She shook her head. "It's nothing! I just... I just, er... Hope everything goes right for my brothers and me from now on."

"It will." Rock nodded reassuringly. "And I'll be cheering you on."

"Um... Thanks." Tron desperately tried to hide the blush that crept onto her face. "Now, wh-why don't you go call your friend so we can get this scanning thing going?"

"Right. I'll be back in a sec." To Tron's relief, Rock turned away from her and walked towards the Flutter.

* * *

Rock returned to the Flutter to get Geetz, and the two of them met up with the Bonnes again. Roll and Sera had also come along to watch.

The former pirates shuddered when they saw a light flash in Geetz's Reaverbot eye.

"Do not worry. I do not mean you any harm." The Servitor tried to assuage their fears.

Bon didn't react while the scan took place. Tron was worried that Geetz might do something dangerous and didn't take her eyes off them, and Teisel was visibly trembling. The scanning process took a few minutes.

"Model B, firmware version 2.5, revision number 1902. Interesting. Very interesting..." Geetz muttered to himself. He turned to the Bonnes again. "The scan is complete. However, it seems that the current generation's anatomy is far more advanced than what we are used to analyzing. We will require data from other people for comparison. At least two people, preferably one relative and someone else completely unrelated to this one I've just scanned, so we can determine which characteristics are genetic and which are not."

Tron traded a long-lasting look with Teisel, and finally took a step forward.

"Miss Tron, please calm down." Geetz requested.

Tron gulped. She had been doing her best to hide her fear, but Geetz knew better since he was looking right into her brain, or her mind, or wherever he was looking. Tron honestly didn't want to know what he was seeing. She breathed deeply and tried to calm down.

"The scan is over." Geetz said a few minutes later. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Tron. Now I need someone that is not from the same family..."

"Can it be me?" Roll volunteered. Tron didn't like that her DNA or whatever would be compared to Roll's, of all people, but she wasn't the one to decide.

"Of course, Miss Roll."

Roll walked closer to him and said what was probably on everyone's minds. "I've been wondering about this for a while... That thing on your forehead looks like a Reaverbot eye."

"I have told you about the Master's research of Reaverbots, have I not? We extensively use much of the technology that resulted from his research."

"Ah, I see." Roll nodded. "Okay, you can begin."

A few more minutes later, Roll's scan was also complete.

"Scan complete. This data will be very useful." Geetz bowed in front of everyone. "Thank you all for your cooperation." He turned to the Bonnes. "We will report the results once we have concluded our analysis."

"Um... Thanks," Teisel said awkwardly. "Well, if you'll all excuse us, we need to be going. We've got to take a proper digger's license exam. If we're going to be doing things the right way from now on, that's probably the first thing we'll need to sort out."

"Okay." Rock nodded. "Good luck... No, I guess you won't need luck. The Class B test is easy. You'll be fine."

* * *

Back at the Sulphur-Bottom, Geetz spent the whole afternoon analyzing the Carbon data he had collected. "Mistress Sera. I have just concluded a preliminary analysis of the scanned Carbons' data."

That piqued her interest. She sat up on the bed to listen.

"As expected, their firmware is on version 2.5, revision number 1902, the latest Carbon firmware version and revision. However, their anatomy and program structures completely differ from what was available at the time of that firmware version's release."

"How so?" She asked in interest.

"Their programs' storage and execution work very similarly to the way it works with the Units."

Sera nodded. That explained how Yuna had been able to upload her program to a Carbon's shell.

Geetz continued. "Their shells' structure though, is a whole different story. Unfortunately, I am unable to perform a complete analysis. They have developed to the point that we might need to return to Elysium and consult the Master's notes to proceed. Much of their internal programs are also very complex. From what I could gather, rather than resembling the previous Carbons or Units, the current Carbons are closer to..." Geetz paused. He was having trouble believing it himself. He breathed deeply and completed his sentence. "They are closer to... The original humans."

"What? Do you mean that they evolved to the point of being comparable to the original humans?"

"Exactly..." Geetz seemed as shocked as she was.

Sera's eyes grew wide. "This is..." She would say "impossible," but then she recalled a particular event that had happened on Elysium. In fact, it had been one of her last arguments with Trigger.

X:X:X:X:X

"Mistress Sera, I'm here," Trigger said when he entered the room.

"Trigger, you know what you have done. You have ignored your orders once again. How many times do I need to tell you to not make contact with the Carbons?"

"They were being attacked! If I hadn't done anything, they would have died! I couldn't just ignore them and leave them to die..."

"Carbons are intended to be disposable. A few less Carbons would not make any difference."

"How can you say that!? They're people!"

"They are artificial fabrications. Nothing more than mere placeholders, strictly for the purpose of preparing Terra's environment for the true humans' reintegration."

"Did you ever talk to any of them, Mistress Sera?" Trigger's expression was unusually serious.

"There is no point in doing that," she said without as much as a second thought.

"I did." Trigger cut her off. "The Master had shown me their behavior from his monitors. But during that last mission, I stayed in the city for a while so I could finally see them in person."

"What!?" Sera was furious. "You were not supposed to make contact with the Carbons. We lost your signal for three days. Now, you are implying that you deliberately cut communications to stay in the city with the Carbons! Is that it?"

"Um. Yeah. Sorry, Mistress Sera. I had to confirm it! I needed to see it with my own eyes!"

"Trigger. This is not the first time that you have completely disobeyed a rule. You know that." She admonished him, but he ignored her.

He spoke confidently, with perhaps the most serious expression that Sera had ever seen on his face. "The Carbons... They talk like everyone else, act like everyone else. They show emotion. They get curious and try to learn things. They laugh and smile when something good happens. They show fear when they're in danger. They're normal people. They're the Master's creations, just like us, Mistress Sera. The difference is that we know what our purpose is, and they don't. Even so, they do what they need to do, while they overcome obstacles and learn and grow."

"No. You are mistaken." Sera insisted. "Only the true humans are capable of having emotions. The Carbons merely simulate human behavior. What you saw and thought was 'emotion' is false and holds no meaning whatsoever. Stop wasting your time and, as I've already said countless times, only concentrate on your duties as a Purifier Unit and nothing else."

"My duties as a Purifier Unit..." Trigger ran his hands through his hair and gave a deep sigh. "You have no idea how hard it is every time I need to terminate a Unit that's gone Irregular. I keep remembering things about them, and thinking about how not too long ago, they were one of us. I hate to think that I'm killing one of our own people... But most of them become so out of their mind that... There's no other way..." He paused. "Why does it have to be this way? Why do we need to keep fighting against ourselves like this, destroying our own people? I don't want this. I don't want anyone else to die... Why do Units go Irregular?"

"It is an unrepairable program malfunction. Whichever Unit that exhibits it must be eliminated without question or hesitation." Sera coldly responded.

Trigger looked at her sadly. "Even the Carbons feel sad when their beloved ones go away. I feel like a part of me gets ripped off every time we kill one of our own Units. What about you, Mistress Sera? Don't you feel anything towards them? Don't you care about them!?"

"I will stress this once again." She spoke, with no change to her expression. "We were created solely to serve the Master. We must focus only on our individual functions to keep the System running. Anything outside of that scope is unnecessary. The only person that should matter to us is the Master, no one else."

"But I care!" Trigger exploded. A drop of a liquid formed at the edge of his left eye and threatened to fall. "I get scared thinking that none of us are free from it, that **all** Units have a chance of going Irregular. All of you are special to me. So..." He bowed. "Geetz and Mistress Sera. Please, please please pleeeaaase, don't ever go Irregular, because I don't want to fight any of you, and I don't think I can afford to lose you..."

Sera had become tired of his senseless chatter. "I've already said everything. Trigger, you are dismissed." She coldly sent him off and completely disregarded his words and feelings.

Trigger couldn't keep it in anymore. More of the liquid formed in his eyes and spilled over. He didn't move from his position. His body shook uncontrollably while the liquid ran down his face.

Sera addressed him as coldly as she had the previous time. "Trigger, were you not listening to what I said? You are dismissed. Please leave."

Trigger stormed out of the room screaming as though he were being stabbed in the chest, while Sera went back to doing her work as if nothing had happened.

"Mistress Sera." Geetz spoke for the first time since they had entered the room. "Is... Is my presence strictly required at this moment?"

"No." She answered without looking at him.

"In that case... Please excuse me." Geetz turned and walked away.

X:X:X:X:X

Sera had assumed that all of the Units, including herself, hadn't been created with the capability to have emotions, since they were mostly distracting and wouldn't improve their productivity in any way. Trigger had always displayed unexplainable behavior, and that incident was the most surprising of them. It was the first time Sera had seen one of the Units cry, and it didn't look simulated. Even though she refused to admit it, that display seemed as genuine as the Master's sadness. Why was Trigger capable of that? Was he an exception? Maybe he was, since he seemed to be the exception to many rules. But why? Why was he different? Why was he special enough to nearly earn the Master's undivided attention? Okay, right. So what? Sera didn't view the act of crying as something positive, so he couldn't have gained anything from doing it... Or could he have? Trigger had always been carefree and cheerful, but at that moment, he had seemed so sad and so hurt...

"Geetz and Mistress Sera. Please, please please pleeeaaase, don't ever go Irregular, because I don't want to fight any of you, and I don't think I can afford to lose you..."

Thinking about it now made her heart tighten. But back when that event had originally happened, Trigger had seemed so hurt, and she hadn't cared. Not even one bit. Why? Why was it different now? Why was it so hard? Why did the worst part seem to be the fact that he was no longer there for her to tell him what she was feeling?

"All I know is that I didn't... Don't... I don't want to hurt you..." Rock's words from the previous day echoed in her head.

Sera gasped as the realization hit her. That was it. That was exactly the reason she didn't want to fight Rock. It was not because of any doubts about whether she could surpass his power in battle. It wasn't any kind of fear of losing to him, either. It was just because she didn't want to hurt him. As simulated as both the Units' and Carbons' feelings might have been, it was a fact that disturbing events such as the fight against Juno heavily affected Rock's demeanor and ran a risk of causing him to perform his tasks poorly. It was also a fact that Sera's program emitted annoying warning signals whenever she noticed him start to become distressed. Since her awakening, he had always treated her so well... If he eventually found out what her true intentions were, it was without question that he would become very upset. Then, Sera realized that, even if she managed to avoid a fight, she would be hurting him. After getting the four keys, maybe if she and Geetz could find a way to vanish without the Carbons noticing... No, that didn't feel right. She also felt bad for Roll, the Sulphur-Bottom crew (even though she hadn't interacted much with them), and even those Bonnes... Sera sighed. Back in the Elysian times, the other Units were beings that she couldn't have cared less about, mere components for keeping the System running, nothing more, nothing less. And now she was getting all worked up over some Carbons, who were supposed to have been mere placeholders... No, that wasn't right, either. If the Carbons had evolved to the point where they almost rivaled the original humans, it probably meant that their smiles and feelings were real.

"I won't let you kill them and throw an entire century of progress away!" Rock's words nagged at her once more. Essentially, that was what she would be doing, only on a much more catastrophic scale. She would be throwing **numerous** centuries of progress away. All of the Carbons' achievements wouldn't mean much to the new humanity aside from the fact that Terra had become inhabitable again. Suddenly, it seemed very unfair to simply erase all of those people. The pain in Sera's chest intensified and she had that strange sensation in her eyes once more. This time, though, she was unable to keep it suppressed. Drops of liquid formed in her eyes and rolled down her face. Sera unexpectedly gasped when she tried to take a breath. She began to panic because her programs' actions were spiraling out of control again, but her panic turned into shock when one of the drops fell onto her hand and she was finally able to take a brief look at the liquid. There was no mistaking it. Those drops were tears, just like the ones she saw falling from Trigger's eyes. Sera was crying...

"Mistress... Sera?" Geetz looked at her in concern.

"Geetz." Sera's voice came out weak and raspy. Her panic increased. Now even her speech components seemed to be failing, but she continued to speak anyway. "This seems so... Unfair. Their sadness... Their joy, their smiles, their effort... Everything seems so real... I feel they have earned the right to continue. H-however, every time I look up the rules... Every time I consult the System about what should be done... No matter which parameters I use to perform the query, the answer... Is always the same..." At the end of her speech, her voice had lowered to a whisper and she became unable to control her sobs.

Geetz had to agree. He had been wondering about the Carbons for the last few days. Interestingly, they really seemed to be able to recover from the Irregular state, according to what he had observed of Rock and the Bonnes' interaction earlier. When he saw the younger Bonne's peculiar case, he knew that this was his opportunity to scan the Carbons like Sera had requested. But to tell the truth, he had really been tempted to help the Bonnes figure out their younger brother's problem even if it wouldn't have concerned the Carbon's programming and evolution. It didn't help that he was curious about it himself. Unfortunately, he had hit a dead end. His knowledge wasn't expansive enough to really understand the current Carbons' internal workings. The only solution Geetz could think of was to return to Elysium and consult the Master's reference notes on both Carbons and original humans so he could perform a proper comparison. As if that discovery about the Carbons' evolution weren't enough, Geetz was currently witnessing another very rare phenomenon. He had always believed that all of the Units, with the exception of Trigger, were incapable of shedding tears. And now, his mistress was crying uncontrollably right before his eyes. Geetz wanted to help her, but he didn't know what he could do. He took a few tentative steps towards the bed where Sera was seated. His mistress' body shook as she cried, and he could see the fear reflecting in her eyes. Geetz's mental image of Sera had always been that of a strong and confident person, so it really bothered him to see her in such a fragile state. He couldn't take it anymore, and did the only thing that crossed his mind: he enveloped her in a tight embrace. Sera kept shaking and sobbing in his arms, but otherwise she neither complained nor tried to shove him away.

Sera was scared of losing control of her actions and accidentally hurting Geetz, but just like what had happened with Rock the previous day, the Servitor didn't seem willing to back away from her. She knew that he also wouldn't have a satisfactory answer to any of her questions, because both of them were bound by the same System's rules. Still, he had always been there for her every time she had needed him and had always performed his duties efficiently. She trusted him. He was the only person she could count on at that very moment. His hug comforted her and made her feel protected from those unknown monsters she had been fearing. Sera decided to enjoy that comfort as much as she could and leaned into him. She closed her eyes and allowed her tears to roll down her face and onto his shirt.

Neither of them knew exactly how many minutes had passed. Once Sera's tears had ceased and her body had stopped shaking, Geetz decided it was time to let go. He released her and took a few steps backwards. He expected her to snap back to her usual self and say something along the lines of, "What do you think you were doing?!" but it didn't happen.

"I am experiencing the same conflict of interests as you are..." He risked speaking up first once it became apparent that Sera wasn't going to respond. "I have also queried the System several times, and the results were always the same."

Sera sighed. She ran her hands down her cheeks, which were still a bit wet from the tears. "These were tears..." She said, relieved that her voice was mostly back to normal. "Why... Why do you think the Master gave us tears?"

"I... Do not know." Geetz admitted. "It seems there is still much that we do not understand. Not only about the Carbons, but about the Units as well. About ourselves..."

Sera kept her head low and seemed deep in thought. "Trigger had really cried that time..."

Geetz immediately understood what Sera was referring to. That moment when they had seen a Unit cry for the first time. It felt strange to him hear Sera mention Trigger's name so calmly, though.

She spoke again. "I had argued with him about the Carbons' behavior. Do you remember?"

"Yes." Geetz nodded.

"He said that the Master had shown him something on the monitoring equipment. Could Trigger have noticed their evolution back then? And could the Master have been aware of it as well?" Sera ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "If... If Trigger were still alive, we would be able to confirm this..."

"But Master Trigger **is alive**..." Geetz blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, but when he realized what had just tumbled out of his mouth, it was too late.

Sera raised her head. "... Wh-what did you just say?"

Geetz bit his lip. He hadn't been thinking properly. For a fraction of a second before he had spoken, it had seemed like the most logical thing to say. Clearly it hadn't been a good idea. There was no backing out now. He couldn't take back what he had said. In fact, Sera was forcing him to repeat it. Geetz took another step back, hesitated for a few seconds, mustered up his courage and said it again, a bit louder than before. "**Master Trigger is alive**." He cringed as Sera directed him a penetrating glare that he knew meant that she required an explanation. **Demanded** an explanation. Geetz gulped. He took another deep breath and prepared to elaborate, but he failed to notice that something was different this time. Sera didn't seem angry. Instead, she seemed desperate to know more. "It was... Just before we were placed in stasis. I arrived at the battleground and saw him there... He was nearly unrecognizable. It was only after several minutes of thorough scanning that I was able to confirm that it was really him. However, not long after I finished the scan, Gatts appeared and subdued me."

"I see." Sera nodded in understanding. Luckily for Geetz, she had apparently decided to focus on the Purifier and ignore the part about the fight against Gatts. "You said that Trigger had been nearly unrecognizable. What did you mean by this?"

"It turned out that he had absorbed the Master's genetic sample." Geetz answered.

So that was what had happened to the specially formatted genetic code. "He must have done that in order to hide the Master's genetic code from us. But why?"

"I do not know. However, this is not all... Aside from the genetic alterations, he had also become quite different."

"Different?" Sera pressed for details.

"Yes... His shell had reset, and its former configuration was lost. Apparently there was not enough material for his shell to regenerate up to an acceptable state, and... His appearance became similar to that of a Carbon infant."

"A Carbon... Wait, that baby...!" Sera's eyes widened. "That baby was him?!"

Geetz was surprised to hear that. "Had you seen him?"

"Very briefly, during a really short period of consciousness. I had managed to open my eyes and he had been there..." Sera recalled the little baby draped in a piece of cloth.

"Gatts and Mistress Yuna seem to know where he is now. I have been trying to ask them for details, however they refuse to reveal any major information. All that they said is that he is still alive and was placed in stasis the same way as we were."

Sera recovered her composure and locked eyes with him. "Why did you not tell me about this before?"

"Apologies." Geetz had to make an effort to keep himself from flinching. "I did not want to speak of facts that I am not completely sure about and run the risk of relaying inaccurate information." Geetz spoke in the most composed manner he could and tried to justify himself, but Sera's serious expression didn't waver. She didn't seem satisfied with his explanation. Geetz froze in his current spot and waited for Sera to throw the next cold water bucket onto his head. Before that could happen, though, the Servitor was startled by a sudden knock on the door.

"Open it." Sera spoke after a moment of hesitation.

"Yes." Geetz finally allowed himself to break his gaze from hers. He slowly approached the door and opened it. The unfortunate Sulphur-Bottom guard could not have chosen a more inopportune moment to show up. The man told Geetz that Bluecher wanted to talk to him about their progress with the keys, now that they had managed to bring the third key back for safekeeping. Geetz looked at Sera hesitantly.

"Go." She commanded, with the same stern look still on her face.

"... As you wish, Mistress Sera." Geetz gave her a quick salute and left the room with the guard.

The moment she found herself alone in the room, Sera closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander. She recalled the smiling Carbon baby. Then she recalled the adult Trigger she remembered the most, who seemed very happy interacting with the Master. She had to conclude that not only were Trigger's tears real, but his cheerfulness and his smiles had been real as well. Geetz was right. There were a lot of things they as Units didn't know about their own kind. She recalled her Servitor laughing uncontrollably in that city with Rock and Roll, and Roll's remark that Sera had smiled herself. After all that, Sera realized that the Master had not only given them tears, but he had given them the possibility of happiness and smiles, too.

"Trigger... Is alive..." Sera whispered. That revelation was still hard to believe, but strangely, she couldn't deny that she wanted it to be true, and not even the notion that Trigger had been an Irregular or that he had been the one to kill the Master could make her stop wishing it was so.

"Mistress Sera, good morning!" The Purifier's cheerful greeting rang in her head. She recalled how he tended to barge into her work area. She usually spent the whole day alone in her room. Her work flowed smoothly when no one would show up to disturb her. But Trigger always had to choose her worst days to barge into her work room and make her day even worse by grinning happily at her as if the day had been wonderful.

"Trigger is alive..." Sera repeated as if it would help her convince herself that it was true. She took a look around the eerily silent room. At that moment, she nearly wished Trigger would abruptly open that door and come greet her to prove that he was indeed alive. It was ridiculous... But she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that... "Trigger is alive..." She said once more as the thought finally seemed to sink in completely. Trigger had been alive somewhere the entire time. She felt warm inside and her heart skipped a beat. She would still be able to see him again... No, that wasn't right. That should have been undesirable. Back on Elysium, she had tried to avoid him as much as possible. She had no reason to even consider the possibility of seeing him again. Trigger was an Irregular. He was the person who killed the Master, and Sera should have been ashamed of the fact that she had been unable to terminate him. Yet, a wave of relief washed over her at the thought that she hadn't killed Trigger. Why? Her thoughts weren't making sense! Her programs were definitely out of control again! ... But somehow, Sera didn't care. Those feelings were really comforting and she wasn't in the mood to try to fight them. "Trigger..." The First Class Purifier's name escaped her mouth once more before Sera did the one thing she had never thought she would ever do in her entire existence. She surrendered. She completely gave up on trying to make sense of her thoughts and allowed herself to enjoy these unfamiliar, unexplainable and undeniably warm sensations. Sadly, though, she was unable to see the peaceful expression and the wide smile that formed on her own face.

* * *

A/n: Alfia and Berta, the previous Mother Units, are my original creations. Their names come from "Alpha" and "Beta," obviously. I intended them to be like prototypes of the current Mother Units.

Sera scanning Rock! That was close...

And Geetz spilled it :P .


	10. The Violin

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 10: The Violin

That night, Sera had a lot of trouble getting to sleep. She spent hours dwelling on the revelation that Trigger was, in fact, alive. She went over Geetz's explanation several times, but a few things didn't add up. It was a fact that Trigger and the Master had always been very close. If that was the case, what could have possibly influenced Trigger to bring the Master to his death? Had the Purifier really become an Irregular? It was strange. Trigger hadn't gone mad like Juno and many of the other Irregulars Sera had seen. The Irregulars' actions weren't supposed to make any sense whatsoever. Trigger's actions, on the other hand, seemed different. Even though Sera was still missing a piece of the puzzle, she couldn't help but think that his actions seemed to have been carefully planned. Why had he wanted to hide the Master's genetic code from them? He'd not only absorbed the formatted genetic sample, but he also had gone so far as to reset his shell. He should have known that the reset process was guaranteed to completely wipe his configuration. If Trigger knew that he would have no memories of what he had been trying to do, then what was the point in doing it? Did he reset just as a desperate attempt to survive, or did he have another reason? Then the realization struck her. This was probably Yuna's doing. Yuna had been trying to find out what had caused the Master's death, and she must have concluded that studying Trigger might lead her to some kind of an answer, even if he had lost all of his memories. Sera recalled the smiling little baby again, followed by the smiling image of the adult Trigger from the Elysium days. Trigger had tried so insistently to get close to her... But ironically, now that she was convinced that his smile wasn't a mere simulation, she would probably never get to see him smile at her ever again. He had lost his memories. He wouldn't remember her. And Sera knew that Yuna wanted to delay their efforts in getting the keys until her research was complete. Both the reset and the DNA's concealment could very well have been Yuna's doing. Since Yuna had seemed so calm about the whole situation, it probably meant that everything had been going according to her plan. It was likely that Trigger had already awakened from stasis and Yuna had been planning to use him to delay their efforts. Sera suspected that Yuna must have been taking care of him and shaping him as she saw fit. Now that Sera was sure that Trigger was alive, she had to admit that she was looking forward to seeing him again. But Yuna could have told him many bad things about her to make him dislike her, such as how she had eliminated all Units on Elysium. It was likely that once Sera and Geetz got all the keys, Yuna would try to turn Trigger against them to take the keys away and further delay the Reinitialization. The next time Sera saw Trigger again, they would probably be enemies.

Once Sera was finally able to get to sleep, she couldn't have dreamed about a different subject.

X:X:X:X:X

Sera found herself trekking through a mysterious ruin. She knew for sure that Trigger had been hiding there, and she was intent on terminating him to avenge the Master's death. The place was empty. No sign of any other Units or Reaverbots. She arrived at a door, but it was locked. A keypad was attached to the door. It had a small screen with the inscription "password required" in ancient writing. Sera inputted various sequences of digits and brute-forced the password until the door unlocked. She tentatively walked inside. The room was huge and empty except for a polygonal crystal on the ground at the room's center. There was no mistaking it. That crystal was one of those stasis fields that only Mother Units were able to create. Sera's eyes sparkled with satisfaction. She had found him. The seal melted the moment she touched it, and the little baby from her other dreams appeared, properly clothed this time.

Sera's heart raced. "Trigger..." She coldly spoke his name as she slowly extended her hand towards him.

The baby opened his eyes to the sound of her voice. He giggled while he mimicked her gesture and touched her hand.

The moment their hands touched, Sera felt a soothing sensation wash over her, and she completely forgot what she had come to those ruins for. "Trigger, it really is you..." She murmured. The baby flashed her a familiar grin, which only served as confirmation.

They stayed quiet for a moment, just staring at each other. Then, Sera heard a voice and suddenly became alert.

"Mistress Yuna, the computer has detected Mistress Sera's entry into these ruins." It was Gatts. "We must not let her get to Master Trigger."

"Come with me." Sera picked the little Purifier up. She awkwardly adjusted him in her arms to make sure she wasn't hurting him, then sprinted out of the room in the direction opposite the one from which she'd heard Gatts' voice.

Sera ran aimlessly and ventured deeper into the maze of doors and corridors. She was forced to stop when the boy began to wail. "Shhh." Sera hushed, but he didn't stop crying. She began to panic. There was a good chance that Yuna and Gatts might hear the sound and locate them. They both needed to stay silent, so yelling at him obviously wasn't an option. Sera noticed that he had been looking downwards. She crouched and placed the boy in a sitting position on the ground. She inspected the area that seemed to have captured his interest and found a glittering Refractor shard. "Is this what you want?" She picked up the object and placed it in his hands. The boy seemed satisfied and stopped wailing immediately, and Sera sighed in relief. However, it was already too late.

"I've finally found you." Yuna entered the room. She was in that Carbon woman's shell. "Sera, just what do you intend to do with Trigger?"

Sera stopped to think and finally remembered her original intention. She looked at the boy sitting on the ground, who was obliviously playing with the Refractor shard. No matter how much she thought about it, the notion that such a small and innocent child could be the very person that had killed the Master was outright absurd, and Sera saw no reason for her to terminate him. She stood up from her crouching position and faced Yuna. "I will decide later. But for now, I am taking him out of here. I know, Yuna. He is your trump card. The Carbon Reinitialization Program must be executed, and I cannot let you use him to prevent me from realizing the Master's wishes!" Sera crouched again and picked the boy up. "Come, Trigger."

The Purifier infant didn't complain. In fact, he even seemed happy to have been picked up by her.

"Hmm, interesting." Yuna raised an eyebrow. "It seems like he's taken a liking to you." She grinned. "Alright. How about this? We take turns raising him, and after he grows up enough, he'll be the one to decide which of us he wants to stay with."

* * *

Sera couldn't remember agreeing to that deal, and she couldn't remember how it was that she had returned to the Sulphur-Bottom, but she knew that Bluecher's crew had become very curious as soon as they'd discovered that they now had a baby from the ancients' race in their ship.

Sera was in the usual room. She was exhausted. Up until that day, she had been constantly bothered by the unsettling silence in that room, but now that she wanted silence, it didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon. She was with Geetz, as well as the room's new occupant, who was laughing and bouncing on the bed where Sera used to sleep.

"Trigger, stop bouncing on the bed!" Sera demanded, but he didn't listen. That was to be expected. Even as an adult, he would never listen to her orders. The notion of him listening to them now, with the comprehension level of a very young child, was absurd.

Sera was about to go take him out of the bed by force herself, but the boy suddenly made a misstep and fell off of the bed. "Ah! Trigger! What did I just tell you?" She scolded as she rushed to the boy, who had begun crying loudly. "Stop crying. You are a First Class Purifier Unit. You should not cry just because of such a short fall!"

Geetz stepped up to the boy's defense. "Mistress Sera, please remember that his shell is going through the regeneration process and is in a quite fragile state at the moment."

"Even so..." She looked sternly at the little Purifier Unit. "Come on, Trigger. Stand up."

But he didn't make any effort to obey her. He was still crying and Sera didn't know what to do. She looked desperately at Geetz.

"Mistress Sera, please excuse me. I will try to locate Miss Roll." Geetz didn't wait for Sera's answer and left the room at a brisk pace.

"... Wait!" Sera called, but her Servitor had already left. She would have preferred if Geetz had taken the crying boy with him instead of leaving her to deal with the baby until help came. "Ah well..." She sighed and picked the boy up.

Sera had no idea as to what to do and just stayed there holding him. She would spare a glance at the door every half of a minute or so, but there seemed to be no sign of Geetz. Several minutes passed, until the boy's eyes closed of their own accord. He finally stopped crying and fell asleep in her arms. Sera got tired of waiting and decided to sleep herself. She laid the little Purifier on the far side of the bed near the wall, then took the position next to him and blocked him in so that he wouldn't fall from the bed again. Sera was so tired that her consciousness blacked out as soon as her head touched the pillow.

X:X:X:X:X

"Ah!" Sera almost panicked when she awoke and noticed that the spot next to her was empty.

"Good morning, Mistress Sera." Geetz greeted her.

"... Huh? A... Dream..." She whispered to herself once the situation sank in. She waited a bit until she had calmed down and checked the time. Sera usually awoke before eight in the morning, so she was shocked to see the clock indicating that it was already past nine.

They took their usual positions at the table they had in the room, and Geetz served the two of them the items from a breakfast tray that one of the guards had brought for them.

"I met Miss Roll in the corridors a while ago." Geetz informed.

"Hmm." Sera only half-listened. She was still mentally wandering between her dream and reality. She imagined baby Trigger walking around the room as their conversation took place. Sera was so out of it that she'd even forgotten to drink her coffee.

"Miss Roll told me that she intends to head to Pokte Village again today. It is the day that she and Mistress Yuna had set to go shopping. Mister Rock intends to check on those little robots in the music school while Miss Roll and Mistress Yuna take care of their affairs. She told me that she and Mister Rock already got permission from Mister Bluecher to take us there as well."

Sera snapped to attention as soon as she heard the other Mother Unit's name. If they managed to meet Yuna, it would be their chance to get answers.

While Geetz talked, the Purifier baby from Sera's imagination had somehow managed to climb onto a chair and grab Sera's forgotten coffee mug while no one was looking. By the time Sera noticed, he was holding a half-empty mug in his two hands and had a crazy grin on his face, while his cheeks and his clothes were all smeared with sugary coffee. _Ah! I cannot believe this..._ Sera imagined herself saying.

"Mistress Sera?" Geetz noticed that something seemed wrong.

"... Hm?" Sera blinked. In an instant, Trigger's baby form was gone and her coffee mug was intact. She sighed. "I had a rough night. That is all." Sera spoke tiredly.

Geetz decided not to comment. Chances were that the problem had to do with the revelation about Trigger. Maybe it really hadn't been a good idea to tell it to her yet.

* * *

Around fifteen minutes later, Rock came to pick them up. The Units quickly noticed that something was amiss. Normally, Rock would talk animatedly on the way to the Flutter, but he was unusually quiet today. He seemed sad for some reason.

Inside the Flutter, they found the door to Roll's room open. Rock knocked anyway. "Roll?"

"Huh?" Roll was sitting on her bed and sorting through a few wooden boxes full of small trinkets. "Oh, hey!" She looked up and smiled at them. Unlike Rock, she seemed to be in high spirits.

"We hope we are not interrupting anything." Geetz hesitantly followed Rock inside the room and prompted Sera to enter as well.

"No, don't worry." She shook her head. "I was just looking at some stuff and trying to remember more about my mother. You know. I've been searching for my parents for my whole life. This is actually the reason I decided to look for the Mother Lode. My parents disappeared when they went looking for it, so I figured that going after it could lead me back to them."

Sera felt bad for the girl. The "Mother Lode" certainly wasn't what the Carbons had thought it was. It felt unfair. All of those efforts would be for nothing, because instead of bringing happiness for the Carbons, what they thought would be a treasure would only bring about their doom. Deep down, Sera wished that Roll would at least be able to find her parents before the Reinitialization took place. This way the girl could be happy, even if it was only for a brief moment.

"And it looks like I was right!" Roll grinned excitedly, oblivious to the thoughts in the Unit's mind. "We found Yuna, and she knows where my mother is! Since Yuna and I are going to buy a gift for her, I figured I'd prepare!" Roll retrieved a picture that was safely tucked away inside an illustrated book. She held out the picture for the Units to see. "Look! This is a picture of my parents and me, from when I was a little girl!"

The Units regarded the picture with interest. Despite a few differences in appearance, they were able to identify the woman in the picture as the Carbon whose shell Yuna had been occupying. Roll's father was unfamiliar to both of them. But the most surprising to them was the little girl's appearance. They glanced back and forth between Roll and the girl in the picture a few times and still seemed to have trouble believing that they both were the same person. The one in the picture was so small and seemed so fragile...

"Is this really you?" Geetz couldn't keep himself from asking.

Roll giggled. "Yeah. Hard to believe, isn't it? Sometimes I wonder about that myself. When we see a child, we don't think much about what they look like, but when we meet the person again years later, after they've grown up, we're usually surprised at how much he or she has changed. It's almost like a miracle!"

Sera wondered how much Trigger might have changed. Where was he now? Had his shell's restoration process completed fully, or was he still growing up? Had he developed enough to be able to fight her if it came to that?

Geetz was still looking at the picture, and to him, something seemed to be missing. Or rather, someone. "Miss Roll, why is Mister Rock absent from this picture?"

"Ah, it's because he wasn't with us yet." She went back to her boxes. "Wait, I'll see if I can find a picture of him from when he was little."

Roll began her search, but before she could find the picture, something else caught her attention. "Hey! Look what I found!" She took a star-shaped music box from the pile of things. "This music box plays a very nice song." Roll wound up the music box and it began to play a soothing melody.

"This is..." Geetz muttered.

"Do you know this song?" Roll asked him.

"Yes. This is one of Mistress Sera's favorite songs." Geetz answered.

Sera gritted her teeth. Geetz didn't need to reveal that bit of information.

Roll smiled at the Mother Unit. "I think I understand why. It's really beautiful."

Rock nodded. He remembered searching for a gift for Roll and finding that music box in a general store. Its melody had stood out to him for some reason, and he had bought the item without a second thought.

"The song's called 'Nocturne,' right?" Roll asked. "That's what the inscription on the music box says."

"Actually, its title is 'Nocturne Opus Nine Number Two in E-Flat Major.'" Sera answered. "It is a composition by Frédéric Chopin."

Both teenagers looked in awe at Sera.

"You seem to know a lot about this kind of music." Rock spoke for the first time since they had entered Roll's room. "Did you have orchestras in your time?"

"No. I was given access to a few ancient recordings."

"Ancient recordings?" Rock echoed.

Roll's eyes widened. "Do you mean... From the first humans' time?!"

"Exactly."

"Wow!" Roll exclaimed. "It's really amazing to think we've managed to preserve their culture until now."

"Yeah." Rock agreed. "That orchestra at Mister Bluecher's party played songs composed by Vivaldi. The songs were from... Around 17XX, I think."

"That is correct." For a split second, Rock could see a hint of surprise on Sera's face. She hadn't expected him to know about that. "And Chopin was from 18XX."

"Oh, that was so long ago! I had no idea!" Roll said in awe as she wound up the music box and made the song play at full speed again. "I love this song. Rock gave me this music box for my twelfth birthday! ... Oh yeah, speaking of birthdays, Sera, when's yours?"

"It is unimportant." The Mother Unit dismissed the question.

"Of course it's important!" Roll insisted. "A birthday means that you've made it through one more year. No matter what kinds of situations you might have experienced during that year, be they good ones, bad ones, sad ones or happy ones, when you reach a birthday, you know you've kept on living for one more year, and that's plenty of reason to celebrate!"

Sera had known that the Carbons celebrated their birthdays. Since the Carbons' lifespans were short, perhaps it made sense that they would see a birthday as a reason to celebrate. To Sera, though, knowing she had lived one more year didn't mean very much. She was a mere servant to the Master, and serving him was the only purpose of her whole existence. Besides, Units could live exponentially longer than Carbons, and in the event that their shells stopped functioning due to aged components, they could always have their programs transferred to new shells.

"It is the twenty third day of August." Geetz revealed the day of Sera's activation.

"Geetz!" Sera glared at him, but Roll addressed her again and diverted her attention.

"Oh, that's coming up pretty soon." Roll noted. "What about yours, Geetz?"

"It is the nineteenth day of October."

Roll grinned at them. "You two have gone through a lot. You even stayed in suspended animation for two centuries, and you're here now! Isn't that a reason to celebrate? When your birthdays come, we'll celebrate with you and make it a moment that you'll never forget!"

Rock agreed, but strangely, he didn't mirror Roll's enthusiasm.

Even though Sera still didn't see a reason to celebrate her "birthday," Roll's statement hit her hard. By the time the anniversary of their activations would arrive, the Carbons probably wouldn't be around to celebrate it anymore.

Roll looked at the clock. "Ah! When did it get so late? We should be going. Sorry, I'll find Rock's picture some other time." She hastily put her things back into the wooden boxes and the whole group headed to the engine room.

* * *

After about an hour, they arrived on Manda Island. Rock had remained silent during the whole trip, a fact that greatly bothered Sera. They got out of the Flutter and approached the town's entrance, and there Yuna was.

"Hello!" Yuna waved at them with a smile.

"Hi, Yuna!" Roll greeted her back.

"Ready?" Yuna grinned at Roll.

"Yeah!" The girl nodded enthusiastically and stepped closer to Yuna. She had been so excited that she completely failed to notice that Rock's mood was quite the opposite of hers.

Yuna noticed it, though. She addressed him. "Aren't you coming with us?"

Rock only shook his head and didn't say anything.

"Hmm?" Yuna found his behavior strange, but tried to hide it. "Well, someone needs to keep these two company." She looked at Geetz and Sera. "Unless you want to come, too."

"No." Sera spoke dryly. "However, I wish to have a talk with you later, Yuna."

"Oh, really?" Yuna inched her head forward curiously. "You want to talk to me? That's rare... Alright. I'll be looking forward to our talk."

"Hmph." Sera glared. _Today is the day that I will make you reveal all of your plans._ She thought confidently.

Yuna took Roll's hand. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah." Roll nodded. "Where are we going?"

"To another island. I know a nice place for shopping. May we take your ship?"

"Sure!" Roll pulled Yuna by the hand towards the Flutter's location. "We'll see you all later, everyone!"

"Have fun," Rock halfheartedly mumbled.

"Mister Rock, what is the matter?" Geetz asked after Yuna and Roll had disappeared from sight and the group had entered the village. "Why did you not accompany them?"

"I... Didn't want to."

"Why not?" Geetz didn't understand how family bonds worked, but Roll had seemed so happy to be able to go and buy her mother a gift. It was only logical that Rock should have been exactly as excited as she had been. He was Roll's brother, after all...

Rock sighed, but didn't answer. Fortunately for him, Geetz didn't have the time to keep asking questions because they'd arrived at the music school. Hopefully, watching the Servbots' class would provide Rock with some distraction.

Rock spoke with the receptionist and several other staff members in an attempt to explain what they had come to do. Eventually, they got the numbers of the classrooms where the Servbots were studying. The little robots had been separated into the orchestra's sections. Rock decided to check up on the violin section again. They made it to the classroom. Twelve Servbots held child-size violins and were divided into first and second violins, while #36 was playing piano accompaniment.

"Ah, Rock, it's you." The teacher from the previous day was instructing the class. He stepped out into the hall to greet them.

"Hi. How're the Servbots doing?"

"These little robots are amazing!" The teacher had a sparkle in his eyes. "It's only their second day of classes, and they're doing great! Tron stopped by here a few hours ago. She told me she built all forty-one of them! We talked a bit. I played a Mozart sonata for her and told her that her robots would be able to play it one day as well… And I have no doubt that they really will! They're very dedicated!"

"I'm sure they will, too," The young teacher's enthusiasm brought a smile to Rock's face. "By the way, this is Geetz, and this is Sera." He pointed at the two Units. "May we watch the class?"

"Of course." The teacher went back inside, followed by Rock and the Units.

"Such small instruments..." Geetz observed.

"These aren't the smallest ones." The teacher informed. "Some people start learning to play the violin as early as two or three years of age, and their instruments are even smaller!" He smiled at the surprise on the visitors' faces and turned back to his students. "Alright!" He clicked his fingers. "Let's try #36's composition again. I'll play it first, so listen carefully." He picked up his violin, which had been sitting on a table, and played a short and vibrant melody. Everyone remained silent until the music ended.

"Nice!" Rock spoke after the teacher had stopped playing. "It's very catchy. What is this song called?"

"It's called 'We Are the Three Bonne Brothers!'" #36 answered.

"Now it's your turn!" The teacher refused to lose to the Servbots in the enthusiasm department. "Let's start from here." He approached one of his students. "Ready?"

"Yes, Teacher Kar!" The Servbot said excitedly.

"Alright, on your mark. I'll start counting! One, two, three, four..."

The Servbot's attempt didn't sound that good, but Teacher Kar seemed satisfied.

"It's a good start." He nodded. He made some corrections to the little robot's posture and the Servbot tried again.

At first, Sera had believed that the Carbons would never be able to play music on par with the original humans, but the orchestra at Bluecher's party had managed to completely nullify that thought. Even the short performance by the teacher a while ago had a special touch to it. She doubted that those robots would become able to match that level of playing, but the Carbon seemed to be having so much fun instructing them that she decided not to voice her skepticism. While Sera listened to the Servbots' attempts at matching the melody's notes, she recalled the Master's violin from back on Elysium.

X:X:X:X:X

Sera, Geetz, Trigger and the Master were seated on a bench in an artificial park. The latter two talked about random things as they looked at the artificial night sky.

"That orchestral recording was great!" Trigger repeated for the umpteenth time. "Master, do you still have the instrument?"

"Yes, I do. I just found it the other day."

"Really? Awesome! Do you think you can still play it?" The Purifier's eyes were filled with hope.

"... Maybe. It has been a really long time..." The Master looked a little distant for a bit before he stood up. "We can go to my house. I'll show you." He started walking. Trigger began to follow him, but the two other Units didn't budge from their positions. The Master turned to them. "Sera and Geetz, you're welcome to come along as well."

Sera and Geetz traded looks. If the Master had invited them directly, then there shouldn't have been any problem with it. They stood up from the bench and walked after him.

Once the four of them made it to his house, the Master left his visitors in the living room and disappeared into the room where he kept his ancient belongings. He came back with the instrument in his hands and a smile on his face. "Here it is. It is a wonder that this still survives, even after nearly 3000 years..."

Everyone stayed silent, including Trigger, surprisingly, while the Master played a beautiful and soothing melody.

Sera was touched. Words could not describe the wonderful sensations that the Master's music evoked in her. Although she had an urge to say something about it once he'd finished, she felt that speaking would ruin that solemn moment, and she chose to stay quiet. However, her decision would become irrelevant in a matter of seconds.

"This was great! Really beautiful!" Trigger shattered the silence with his speech output at 130% volume. "I want to hear more! It's interesting how this wooden instrument can make a sound this beautiful. I want to know more about it!"

The Master laughed. "This wooden instrument is called a 'violin.' And it is not a problem. I can certainly try to teach you everything you would like to know about it. However, it has been a very long time, and I have forgotten a lot of things. I will need to consult my music books. Wait here." The Master disappeared into the other room again. He came back with a few old books and placed them on the coffee table. He opened one of the books for the Units to see.

Even though Sera was unable to decode the symbols inside the book, the fact that they were used for notating music was already registered in her database.

"Cool!" Trigger looked at the book with interest. "What's written in there?"

"I will show you." The Master took his violin and began playing.

Everyone listened intently to the Master's playing. Sera found herself overtaken by that soothing effect again. The sensation of floating in the clouds, traveling through the endless sky. No rules, no limits, nothing to worry about. It was almost as if the Master's violin were singing, "I just want to be free..."

The song ended. For a while, everyone stayed silent and just enjoyed the sensations that the Master's music had caused in them.

"That was... Wonderful." Sera was unable to contain herself and expressed her opinion.

"Thank you." The Master smiled genuinely at her.

That reaction took her aback. He used to constantly smile brightly at Trigger for some reason that she had never understood… But for her, nothing. Sera had always done everything exactly as asked in hope that she would finally be able to satisfy him and prove her loyalty, but he'd always had a sad look in his eyes whenever he was in her company. Every time he smiled at her, it didn't look natural. Now she had merely voiced a thought, and the smile she'd earned had finally been genuine. Why? But as usual, Trigger's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, it was... Uh... I don't even know how to describe it." Trigger looked at the sheet music again. "Was all of that written in there?"

"More or less." The Master answered. "The basic ideas are in there, but much of the final sound depends on the player's interpretation."

"Emotions." Sera muttered.

"Exactly." The Master had heard her.

"Oh, amazing! Um..." Trigger glanced at the two bewildered Units, then eyed the violin. "... Master, do you think... I could play it too?"

"Hmm…" The Master considered the question.

"May I try?" Excitement glimmered in Trigger's eyes.

The Master handed him the instrument and provided a basic explanation of how it should be held. However, on his first try with the bow, Trigger put too much force on it and the first string snapped.

"Ah! Sorry Master!"

A few seconds of silence followed. "Trigger, hand the violin over to me." The Master spoke in a harsh tone.

The Purifier obeyed with a sad expression.

That was the first time Sera had seen the Master upset at Trigger. It was certainly a day of firsts...

"I'm sorry. Please, let me try again. I promise I'll be more careful..." Trigger insisted.

The Master furrowed his brows in thought. He sighed and reluctantly handed the instrument back to Trigger.

This time, Trigger managed to get a sound out, but instead of a beautiful tone like the Master's, it sounded like a warning siren indicating that Elysium was under attack. "Ah! Why? Aaaah!" Frustrated, Trigger put more force on his hand, and the second string was history. "Ah... Master, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..." He handed the instrument back without being asked.

The Master sighed. "I will see if I have any spare strings." He took the violin and the bow, then walked away.

"Why?" Trigger said to himself. "Why did it have to go so wrong? It was so nice when the Master did it... And everyone looked so happy while they were listening... I wanted to do it too!"

"Trigger." Sera approached him. "You will never be able to play that instrument."

"Why do you say that?"

"It depends on emotions. That kind of touch, those kinds of emotions... Are exclusive to humans, meaning that the Master is the only one left who is able to play music at that level. No Unit will ever be able to replicate that kind of playing. Give it up, because it is futile. As I have told you countless times, focus only on your duties and nothing else. I hope you have learned your lesson this time."

"Mistress Sera..." The Purifier bowed his head in dejection.

"Excuse us." Sera ignored him. She simply turned and walked away, with Geetz following her.

* * *

Three days later, Sera was pleasantly surprised to see that the Master had decided to visit her in her work room. More surprising, though, was that he had come alone. Trigger wasn't there to interrupt them.

"Good morning, Master." Sera bowed slightly in respect.

"Good morning, Sera. How are you doing?"

"I have completed my analysis of the latest System logs. No abnormalities to report." She coldly answered.

"Good. Great job as always." He nodded. "But what about you? Have you been feeling anything different lately?"

"Nothing unusual. My programs are running in perfect order."

The Master scratched his head. "Um, that was not quite what I had meant to ask."

Sera felt ashamed. She had failed to give the Master a satisfactory answer. "Then, I apologize. I seem to be unable to comprehend your question, Master," she said. The Master was the only person who'd ever had the privilege of hearing an apology coming out of Sera's mouth.

"It is fine," were his words, but his heavy sigh indicated otherwise. "If you say you are well, then it is fine." The Master tried to assure her. He forced a smile and hesitantly patted her head.

The Master's sigh and forced smile only served to confirm Sera's inability to fully meet his expectations. She wished he would smile brightly at her like the way he often smiled at Trigger. She had been able to get a genuine smile from him for a brief moment a few days earlier, when she had merely made a comment about his violin playing. Had it just been a random occurrence? Why couldn't she manage to achieve that again? What had she been doing wrong? Sera couldn't comprehend it. She wouldn't let her frustration show, though. She had just told him that she had her program under control, and she couldn't falter now. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

"I want to show you something. While I was organizing my old belongings, I found these." The Master took a few CD cases from his pocket. "These are orchestral music CDs I had back when I lived on Terra."

"CDs from the original humans' time..." Sera muttered to herself and made an effort to hide the look of wonder on her face.

"Yes. Since you seem to like orchestral music, I figured I would lend you these CDs so you can listen to this kind of music whenever you want."

Sera didn't know what to say. Her mouth hung open for a moment until her hands finally moved to take the CDs. She hesitantly and carefully held the items as though she feared they would disintegrate just from being touched. "It is an honor to be trusted with such unique and valuable items, Master." She finally answered. "You can rest assured that I will handle them with care."

"I know you will." The Master nodded. "Well, now I need to check on the worker Units. I had asked them to make something for me. Please excuse me." He turned away and left.

Sera seemed paralyzed. For a long while, she just held the CDs and kept staring blankly at the spot the Master had occupied previously. Once she had finally come back to her senses, she slowly made her way to her computer and inserted one of the CDs into the CD drive. She opened the audio player program and allowed herself to be soothed by the gentle sound of the orchestra while she resumed her work.

* * *

Sera was on her way back to her work area after a meeting with a few Units. Just as she turned a corner, she was startled by a siren like sound. _What is this?!_ Sera thought as she quickened her pace towards the sound's direction. She arrived at the scene and wasn't pleased by what she saw. Near an artificial fountain, Trigger stood with the Master's violin in hand. "Rockman Trigger!" She addressed him in a scolding tone.

"Hi, Mistress Sera." He stopped what he had been doing and spoke nonchalantly.

"What are you doing with the Master's instrument?!"

"I'm practicing." He spoke casually as if nothing had been wrong. "The Master found a way to produce strings artificially, so we don't need to worry too much about breaking them anymore! Isn't it great?"

"No, it is not." Sera cut him off. "It is a waste of time. I already told you. Only the original humans are able to play that instrument effectively."

"But I'm making progress!" To make his point, Trigger quickly and repeatedly struck the strings with the bow and produced a few loud and abrupt notes that startled Sera and made her jump.

"Ah! Trigger!" She shouted over the sound of his playing.

But he ignored her and continued his noise assault, until one of the strings and a chunk of the bow's hair snapped before his strength. "Hahaha, oops..." He laughed sheepishly.

"Enough!" Sera roared. "Go return that instrument to the Master right now and stop making him waste his precious time!"

The Purifier sighed resignedly. He turned and began walking away, seemingly willing to obey her for once.

"One more thing." Sera stopped him. "I hope you haven't forgotten the meeting this afternoon. Do not be late."

Trigger only nodded and wordlessly walked away.

In the afternoon, they held a meeting to discuss improvements to their security practices. Despite Sera's warning, Trigger had arrived late to the meeting. Worst of all, he'd made the Master arrive late as well!

Two hours later, the meeting ended and everyone began to file out of the room.

"Trigger." Sera stopped the Purifier in his tracks.

"Yeah?" He turned around and faced her.

"What happened today must not be repeated. You not only arrived late to the meeting, but you caused the Master to be late as well. As a penalty for your misconduct, you are prohibited from visiting the Master for three weeks!"

It seemed Trigger would protest, but surprisingly, he didn't. In fact, he showed no sign of resistance whatsoever. The Purifier only turned to the Master and said, "Okay. Master, I'll see you in three weeks!" Which probably meant that visiting him would be the first thing he would do as soon as they reached the three week mark. At least it seemed that he wouldn't ignore his prohibition and try to sneak out to the Master's house before the deadline this time.

That had gone well. Trigger had accepted his punishment very easily, and it looked like he would obey her. Sera was very pleased.

The following day had been a tiresome one. When Sera had thought that her work had ended, she accidentally discovered a severe bug in a program in the Defense Area's computers that had the potential to cause the security Reaverbots to malfunction. She fixed the bug as fast as she could manage. But by the end of it, she was really tired. All Sera had wanted was to get a good night of sleep to recharge. However...

"Good evening, Mistress Sera!"

"Trigger." Why did he have to appear now? "What are you doing here at this hour?" Sera asked irritably.

"I have nothing to do now. Since I can't go see the Master, I came here to see you!" He declared with a happy grin.

_No. This cannot be happening..._ Sera thought.

During that three week period, Sera deeply regretted her decision to keep Trigger away from the Master, because every time the Purifier had nothing to do, he would come to her work area and annoy her to no end...

* * *

A few years had passed, and Sera still had the Master's CDs. She had been working with a song playing in the background. It reached its end and Sera snapped to attention. The best part of the CD was about to come: Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2. The music began. Sera stopped working and closed her eyes dreamily.

"You really like this song, don't you? You're always listening to it." Trigger's voice startled her somewhere around the middle of the song.

"Aah!" Sera jumped. "Trigger! How many times do I have to tell you to knock before entering?!"

"Ah, sorry." He apologized the same way as he had always done.

Sera opted to ignore it. "When did you arrive?"

"Right before this song started," Trigger said. Sera was surprised to hear that. He had been there for a long time and she hadn't noticed him! That proved that he could stay quiet when he really set his mind to it. "What's this song called, anyway?" He asked.

"Nocturne Opus Nine Number Two in E Flat Major." She answered.

"Nocturne Opus Nine...?" He tried to repeat the entirety of the title but stopped midway. "It's so beautiful..."

Sera had to agree. The "miracle" continued and Trigger remained silent until the song ended.

"Hey, Mistress Sera." He began. "If I learn to play it on the violin, will you listen?"

"What!? Don't tell me you're still trying to..."

"Yeah, I am." He confirmed. "The Master has been teaching me!"

Sera hadn't imagined he had still been playing. Because she hadn't heard his disturbingly loud excuse for practicing since that day, she had thought he had given up. The Master had played the violin to them a few times after that, but neither he nor Trigger ever showed any indication that Trigger still had been attempting to learn how to play the instrument.

"If I learn to play this song on the violin, will you listen?" He repeated his question.

"No," Sera said dryly.

"Why not?"

"Firstly, like I have told you on numerous occasions, only the original humans can achieve satisfactory results with a violin. Secondly, this song was intended to be played on a piano, not a violin. And I still have a lot of work to do. I would like to do it in silence, so please leave."

"Ah. Okay..." The Purifier lowered his head. He seemed very disappointed with Sera's answer. He turned and slowly walked away.

* * *

The next time they had a mission, Trigger seemed a bit out of it and his performance quality hadn't been as good as it used to be. In fact, it had been decreasing gradually since a few months prior. Sera recalled Trigger telling her about the completely out of context activity that he had been engaged in. She seriously needed to do something about that.

The mission had ended. Sera turned off the navigation equipment. She had around half an hour until Trigger arrived back from the mission. She hurried to the Master's house.

"... Sera?" The Master seemed surprised to see her.

"Good afternoon, Master." Sera greeted him. "I have come here with news about the mission."

"... The mission?" Worry was evident on his face. The fact that Sera didn't usually come to his home unless she had been called or it was an emergency probably made things even worse. "Did something bad happen?"

"The mission has just ended. The Irregulars have been terminated. Thankfully, no Purifiers suffered serious damage. However, there is one additional topic I believe we should discuss."

"Please, come in." The Master relaxed a bit and beckoned for her to enter. "What do you want to talk about?" He asked when they arrived in the living room.

"I must inquire. Is it true that you have been attempting to teach Rockman Trigger to play the violin?"

"Yes, it is true."

"I see. I have noticed that the quality of his mission performance has been steadily declining over the last month or so. I believe that this 'extracurricular activity' might have something to do with that."

"He has been a bit down lately. Even after all this time, he still has not managed to succeed in effectively applying emotion to his playing." The Master explained.

"Stop wasting your time, Master. Only humans are able to play music with emotion. In other words, only you are able to do it. Trigger should concentrate solely on his duties. He is a combat Unit. He should not allow himself to become distracted with activities for which he was not designed, and you should not encourage him to partake in such activities. Even though we had no losses on this last mission specifically, as you know, we have been losing many skilled fighters. Trigger is our strongest Purifier Unit and must maintain focus on his responsibilities at all times." Sera approached the coffee table where the violin had been sitting. "While it is good that this instrument is capable of providing you with an enjoyable pastime, this situation with Trigger has gone too far, and I cannot allow it to continue."

"Sera, wh-what are you going to..." The Master shakily took a step forward.

Sera grabbed the violin. A trace of emotion flickered on her face for a brief moment, and she spoke in a low voice. "Master... Please forgive me."

One quick movement and a chord that sounded more like a scream of agony resounded through the room as the violin shattered against the wall. Essentially, Sera had destroyed the last of the violins made in the original humans' time.

The Master froze in place with a look of horror on his face.

The painful sound of the violin's last breath still echoed inside Sera's head. That sound coupled with the Master's horrified expression made Sera's heart tighten, but she did her best to not show any sign of doubt. "I apologize, Master. This was necessary," She fought the lump that had formed in her throat and added, seemingly more to convince herself than to convince the Master, "Both you and Trigger must reevaluate your priorities. Now, I must return to work. Please excuse me." She turned away and left as quickly as she could. It was unbearable for her to look at the painful expression on the Master's face. She was fully aware that her actions had caused him suffering, but, like she had just said, she viewed it necessary.

Around half an hour later, Trigger barged into her work room. He seemed very upset. "Why, Mistress Sera? Why did you do it?!"

"You and the Master have been influencing each other's behavior too much, and it is making a negative impact on more important matters. That instrument was a bothersome distraction."

Trigger had a very hurt expression on his face. But unlike in the Master's case, the Purifier's expression was supposed to be a mere simulation, and to Sera, it meant nothing.

Sera continued her lecture. "These distractions are causing a decrease in your performance. You are the strongest Purifier Unit. Having such a high rank means that you also have greater responsibilities. All Units were created for a specific purpose. You should **never** ever lose sight of your purpose. Your mission. The sole reason for your existence. You understand that, do you not?" She got a slow nod from him. "Then, go back to work."

But Trigger didn't move. He only stared sadly at Sera. "I had been trying to learn that song for you..." He murmured. "Just when I thought I had finally found something in the world you liked..."

Sera completely ignored his comment. "First Class Purifier Unit Rockman Trigger. Go back to work, now." She commanded.

Trigger heaved a sigh and finally decided to move. He turned away and trudged out of the room.

X:X:X:X:X

Sera snapped back to the present. Even after what had happened back then, a lively violin sound like the one from the orchestra at Bluecher's party still had the capacity to move her heart. But now that she had recalled the events concerning the Master's violin in full, everything came crashing down full force. The last sound produced by the strings when the violin shattered, the Master's hurt expression as he witnessed Sera throw his instrument at the sturdy wall of his living room, and Trigger's equally hurt expression that Sera now knew was not a simulation. Before Sera even realized it, she had begun inventing another scenario.

X:X:X:X:X

Baby Trigger was with her in that classroom. He was wailing loudly because he wanted a violin like the ones the Servbots were holding.

"Stop disturbing the class, Trigger!" Sera scolded, but he continued to wail. She sighed. "Please excuse us." She said to Teacher Kar as she pulled the boy by the hand and forcefully dragged him out of the classroom. Barely able to walk, the little Purifier stumbled several times while Sera dragged him.

Once they were out of the classroom, Sera closed the door behind them. When she turned around, she found herself face to face with Yuna. _Yuna? What is she doing here?!_ Sera thought.

Yuna seemed disappointed. "You still intend to deny him the right to play the violin, don't you?"

"He is a combat Unit." Sera argued. "This activity has nothing to do with his intended functions."

"He can't fight yet." Yuna argued back. "It'll still take many years until his shell recovers enough for him to be able to perform any of his original functions. What do you expect him to do until then? He needs something to occupy himself with."

While that conversation played out, baby Trigger had begun to ram his shoulders uselessly against the classroom's door in an attempt to push it open. Once Sera noticed what was happening, she roughly jerked him away from the door, which made him wail again in protest.

Yuna shook her head with disapproval evident on her face. "If you don't allow him to do any of the things he wants, and continue to treat him in this way, he'll refuse to stay with you, Sera."

Sera looked at the little Purifier again. He wasn't wailing anymore, but he had a very pained expression, exactly like the one that the adult Trigger'd had when he had confronted her about the broken violin. Sera felt as though something sharp had impaled her heart. She finally found herself ready to take the boy back to the classroom and let him hold a violin, but Yuna was quicker.

Yuna looked sweetly at the Purifier infant. "Let's go inside and ask the teacher to show you a violin. Come on, Trigger."

Sera could only stare as the pain disappeared completely from the boy's face and was quickly replaced with a happy smile as Yuna took him in her arms. Yuna was right. At this rate, Sera would lose him...

Yuna opened the door and disappeared through it with the Purifier in her arms. Sera shakily followed them. She watched Yuna talk to the teacher, who had one of the Servbots let Trigger hold a violin. Even though the instrument was small, it was still too big for him. He struggled to hold it with his two hands. Even so, he refused to let go of it even after Yuna told him that it was enough and tried to take the instrument back. Yuna had to change her tactics.

"I know you like it very much, but that violin isn't yours. The Servbot needs to study. You have to give that back, okay?" Rather than taking the violin from him, Yuna made the boy return it to the Servbot by himself. He didn't seem willing to comply, but he did so nonetheless.

"Well done!" Yuna praised him, then turned to the teacher. "Teacher Kar, would you be willing to take him in as one of your students?"

Sera found her proposition absurd. "He can't even talk yet, Yuna!"

Teacher Kar smiled. "Of course. But it's still a bit early for him. Maybe in a year or two..."

"Did you hear that, Trigger?" Yuna spoke once they were back outside the classroom. "Soon you'll be able to take violin classes! ...But you should at least learn to talk first." She turned toward her little sister. "Sera, between the two of us, whose name do you think he'll learn to say first?" She grinned mischievously. "I bet 1000 zenny that it'll be mine!"

Sera had no idea, but she suspected that for his first word, he would most likely attempt the name of the individual with whom he had the strongest bond. If she continued screwing up like she had been, the chances of his first word being her own name would grow slimmer and slimmer...

X:X:X:X:X

While Sera was lost in thought, a situation not too far from the scenario she'd invented had been happening back on Terra. While Teacher Kar was busy instructing the Servbots, he'd left his violin sitting on a table. Rock kept staring at the instrument until he found himself unable to contain his curiosity and slowly made his way to the table. He carefully took the instrument and the bow, and tried to hold them the way the teacher had held it while instructing the Servbots a bit earlier. Rock tentatively placed the bow on one of the strings and slowly pulled it. The string's vibration resulted in a gentle and long note. As soon as that note sounded, Rock was overtaken by a feeling of nostalgia. He moved the bow and listened to the sound of all four strings, then he absentmindedly began pressing the strings with the fingers on his left hand. The sequence of notes reminded him of a song he had heard somewhere. He didn't know what song it was, but surprisingly, his fingers were landing on various points of the fingerboard and the notes actually formed the song he had been thinking of. It was an unexplainable feeling, similar to what he had experienced when he'd used a Buster for the first time. Somehow it felt natural to him. His fingers moved to the exact spots at which they needed to be to produce the notes he had wanted to sound. It was as though he had already known how to play the violin. Soothed by the sound of the strings, Rock suddenly began recalling snippets of a conversation from long, long ago...

X:X:X:X:X

Rock remembered sitting on a couch in a big living room. The image was fuzzy and he couldn't discern much of the place's details, but he could tell that a coffee table was at the center, and a TV-like screen was on the wall in front of him. He was not alone. A man sat beside him on the couch.

"She heard me practicing and didn't like it." He told the man. "I think she only likes when **you** play..."

"Music seems to have an effect on her that words do not, and teaching you how to play is the best way to prove our point," The man said. "Let's do the following: I am going to keep teaching you, but you must not talk to her about it until you start applying emotion to your playing."

"Okay!" He exclaimed. Then he added with a grin, "I'll get better at it, and then I'll surprise her!"

"I know you will," the man said and patted Rock's head. "I am counting on you."

* * *

Another event, after a violin practice session.

"This is enough for today," the man said. After a pause, he asked, "What do you think about playing the violin? Are you enjoying it?"

"Why do you ask? Of course I am! You know that!"

The man laughed. "Great to know... Because back when I was learning to play, I hated it."

"You hated it?" Rock couldn't understand how that could be. "Why?"

"I did not begin studying music by choice." The man explained. "My parents died during a Reaverbot attack when I was five years old. I began living with my aunt, and since she did not have very much time to take care of me, she forced me into a music school. I had to spend the whole afternoon there. It was really boring. I disliked it so much that I used to skip classes and often did not do my homework."

"What?!" Rock was shocked. "I can't believe this!"

The man laughed again. "Unfortunately, it is true. It was due to my flippant attitude that I did not become good enough to be chosen as the principal violinist in that orchestral recording." He sighed. "My views have changed so much... If I could go back in time, I would have done everything much differently. I would have enjoyed it a lot and done everything to make the most of it."

"Alright! Then I'll enjoy it twice as much and make the most of it for you, too!"

"Thank you," The man said with sincerity and put a hand on Rock's shoulder. "It means a lot."

X:X:X:X:X

By the end of Sera's daydream about baby Trigger, someone had begun to play a soothing song at the front of the classroom. She wondered who might have been playing it. The sound was very different from what those Servbots' attempts had been producing. It couldn't have been the teacher either, since she could hear his voice a few seats behind her. Then who could it have been...? Sera became curious and opened her eyes. She looked in the direction of the teacher's desk and could finally see who had been playing his instrument this entire time. _Rock?_ Sera thought in surprise. She didn't know what to make of that situation. She would have never guessed that Rock might have been able to play any musical instrument, much less a violin. In fact, she hadn't imagined him to be capable of doing most of the things that now she knew he could do. That boy was so unpredictable. His physical appearance gave no indication that he was a very skilled Digger, much less that he was even capable of reaching First Class Purifier level under pressure. He seemed to be a very calm person, so it had been shocking to stumble upon that memory file about Juno and see how dangerously angry he could become. And now, he proved to be able to play the violin. Sera had already heard much better performances from the Master's CDs, but Rock's playing was actually better than what she would have expected from any Carbon prior to hearing the orchestra at that party. His sound had a nostalgic quality to it. Rock seemed to be in a trance as he calmly moved the bow over the strings. Sera had never cared about the thoughts of others, but at that moment, she couldn't help but wonder what might have been going on in the boy's head. It had been a short time since they had met, but Rock had somehow managed to earn Sera's respect little by little, and now she had to admit that she was curious about him. She wondered how he might surprise her next. _What other secrets have you been hiding...?_ Sera thought, her eyes trained on him.

Rock opened his eyes to find that the whole classroom had gone completely silent. Everyone was staring at him, including the two Units and the teacher. His hands stopped moving, he began feeling self-conscious, and his face flushed in embarrassment. Rock seemed to be rooted to the ground and only stared dumbfounded at his audience until he remembered that he had taken the teacher's violin without permission. "Ah! I... I-I'm sorry!" He suddenly sputtered. "Um, the violin. I, uh, I shouldn't have..."

"Why the sudden stop? You were doing great!" Teacher Kar approached Rock with a smile on his face. "So you can play the violin, too! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Huh? I, um..." Rock was unsure about how to explain it.

"Now I see why you decided to help those Servbots start their orchestra!" Teacher Kar didn't wait for an answer. "You know? My brother gave up on the violin because he wanted to become a Digger. But you're both a Digger and a violinist at the same time! This is amazing!" He patted Rock on the back. "Where are you studying?"

"Um... I... Uh, r-right now, I'm not..." Rock stumbled over his words.

"**Right now**?" Teacher Kar echoed. "Okay. When did you start?"

"Err..." Rock was about to say that he had never played a musical instrument in his life, but he recalled the events he had been thinking about just a while ago. Who was that man? That gentle, fatherly figure... No matter how hard Rock tried, he couldn't remember any details about the man's face. That voice was so familiar, too... And who was that "she" that they had mentioned in the first event? When had that conversation taken place? Everything was so hazy, like those events from his childhood that Roll kept mentioning but he couldn't remember. Yes, that had to be it. He must have begun studying music very early. It was the only way he could explain his ability to play the violin and inability to remember how he had learned to do it. "It's... It was... A long time ago." Rock finally answered. "It's been so long that I don't remember when..."

"Hmm. Do you think you can play #36's composition? Here." The instructor placed a musical score on the table in front of Rock.

"Huh? But..."

"Please, Mister Rock!" #36 pleaded. "I'll play the accompaniment for you!"

"Judging from what you were doing just a while ago, it shouldn't be too hard." Teacher Kar encouraged.

Rock was about to protest and say that he couldn't read music, but he gaped when he looked at the music symbols. He was able to read them perfectly. First ancient writing, now sheet music?! And surprisingly, it looked easy enough. "Um... Okay, I can try."

"Yay!" #36 was happy to hear that. "Then, let's do it!"

They began to play. It was a cheerful song, and they managed to pull off a lively performance. It made Geetz recall how sometimes the Master had played the violin for them at those parties he would throw after the completion of a successful mission, the ones at which Sera had never been present. Right after the Master would finish his piece, Trigger would always ask for the instrument and try to play the same song.

X:X:X:X:X

It was the first time Trigger had played the violin at one of the parties. Unlike the Master's lively sound, Trigger's was rigid and abrupt. Even so, most of the Units present, including Geetz himself, were amazed at Trigger's efforts.

"Ah! Why isn't my sound like the Master's?!" Trigger had complained.

"What you have done just now is really impressive, Master Trigger." Geetz expressed his opinion.

"Yes, it was really good!" One of the other Units said. "Master Trigger, you are amazing! You can do just about anything!"

"No." Trigger shook his head. "I still have a lot to learn! But I'm sure I will learn much more, because the Master's a great teacher!"

"And I am also sure that you will, Trigger, because you are a great student." The Master shot the compliment back.

"I try. And I'll keep trying and give my best!" Trigger said. He suddenly turned to Geetz. "Oh, Geetz, one more thing. Until I get better at playing the violin, please don't say anything about this to Mistress Sera!"

X:X:X:X:X

"Bravo!" The song ended and the Servbots began cheering and applauding.

"Whoa, Mister Rock! You can do almost anything!" Another Servbot said.

"Err, no, not really... I just..."

"Your playing was great!" Another Servbot cut him off. "This is why you should join us as Servbot #42! With you, I'm sure the results we need will come much quicker!"

Rock shook his head. "No, I can't do that! It's **your** orchestra, and you have to practice and build up your **own** skills."

The Servbot saddened. "Aww. Okay. If you change your mind, just tell us!"

"Rock." Teacher Kar spoke up again. "Thank you. You did great. If you ever have some free time and feel like coming here again, you could help me instruct the Servbots. I'm sure it would serve as a good refresher for you, too. What do you say?"

Rock thought about it for a bit. Maybe if he kept playing the violin, he would remember more about those events he was missing. "Okay, I will." He decided.

* * *

Rock and the Units paid a brief visit to the Servbots in the other classrooms, then left the village and stopped at the place where they had parted ways with Yuna and Roll.

"I had never imagined that you would be able to play a musical instrument, Mister Rock." Geetz commented.

In fact, neither had Rock. He was still surprised by what had happened. He had been certain that he had never touched a violin in his life, until those visions suddenly came back to him and blew that certainty away. Even though he couldn't remember when they had taken place, now he was absolutely sure that those events had really happened, and he couldn't deny that he had learned to play the instrument at some point. "It's been, uh, a long time... When I saw that violin just sitting there, I... Um... I couldn't resist."

"Your performance was quite enjoyable." Geetz complimented.

"Uh, um... Thanks." Rock scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Not as good as the performances from the first humans' CDs, however." Sera added.

Anyone else would probably have taken that as an insult, but Rock wasn't "anyone else." He even seemed curious. "Ah, the first humans' playing must have sounded amazing!"

"Yes." Sera answered with a dreamy expression.

"May I ask... Why did you stop playing?" Geetz inquired.

"Huh?" Rock tried to recall the reason, but nothing came up. "I don't know. I don't remember..."

Geetz felt that it was a waste of talent. Rock really seemed to enjoy playing that instrument, and Geetz's opinion was that the boy should continue playing, even if it were only until it was time for the Reinitialization. But he opted to say nothing, and a solemn silence followed while they continued to wait for Yuna and Roll's return.

* * *

A/n: ah, the parts about baby Trigger. Sera has an active imagination XD. Well, actually, that part came from an idea for a separate fic I had thought about writing, where instead of leaving Trigger sealed until Barrell found him, Yuna and Sera would decide to raise him themselves. But I didn't have any idea about where to go with that story, so I decided to incorporate it into "Trigger of Change" as a mere figment of Sera's imagination and leave it at that. :P

The date for Sera's "birthday", August 23rd, is the date I joined the Mega Man Legends Station forums... Very uncreative :P . October 19th was random. And while we're talking about anniversaries, this month (June 12th, to be more exact) marked one year since I began writing (not publishing) this fic! Oddly enough, the first things I'd written for this story were those messages from the Master that appear in Rock's dreams. It was meant to be a short story with Rock remembering the Master's words before his activation, but as you can see, it became **way** out of proportions and turned into something completely different... But it was probably a good thing!

Like I had already mentioned in the notes for chapter 2, a music box arrange of "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E-Flat Major" by Frédéric Chopin plays in Roll's room inside the Flutter in DASH/Legends 1. This is what gave the inspiration for Roll's music box in this story.

Why all those people (including Rock) play the violin, out of all things? First, I've been addicted to violins for quite some time and I wanted to be able to feature it in some fan fic. Second, since the DASH/Legends series makes use of classical music, I figured it'd be a good opportunity.

Speaking of my addiction to violins, in march of 2015 (at the moment of this writing, this means three months ago), I began taking violin lessons. Yes, like the Servbots! (although mine aren't group lessons and are weekly instead of daily) Thinking about this fanfiction and a possible audio drama, I tried to play... Guess what? No, not "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2." That's too advanced for someone playing for barely three months! Yes, I tried to play "We Are the Three Bonne Brothers!" You can listen to it and a few extras at this link (remove spaces):

goo dot gl / amd56s

Note (2015/07/11): not related to the fic, but related to DASH/Legends. I'm just dropping by to say that Keiji Inafune (Rockman/Mega Man's creator) and his game company Comcept launched a project to create a spiritual successor to Rockman DASH/Mega Man Legends! It's called "RED ASH" (or "REDASH" if you will :P ). It'll have a game, and an anime, too! If you're a DASH/Legends fan, definitely check it out and show your support, either by donating to their ongoing Kickstarter campaigns (running until August 3rd, 2015) or by spreading the word! All relevant links can be found at redashgame dot com.


	11. The Flower

A/n: chapter 11 is finally here. Sorry for the long wait. I'm on a break from the Legends fandom right now, and it's hard for me to write for a fandom while I'm in another fandom. I haven't abandoned any of my fics. It's just hard to get inspired to write them when I'm on a different fandom. When I'm not inspired to write a story, it takes much more time to get work on it done while trying to maintain the usual quality. But I'm determined to finish all my fics no matter how much time it takes.

Okay. Enough rambling. On to chapter 11.

* * *

Trigger of Change

Written by Aiyumi

Disclaimer: Rockman/Mega Man, as well as any other trademark that may be referenced in this fan fiction, are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.

Chapter 11: The Flower

Yuna and Roll went to another island to do their shopping. Before they disembarked, while they were still inside the Flutter, every so often Yuna would zone out while Matilda reminisced about her father's ship. They arrived on the island and checked out a few stores. As they looked for a gift, they talked about Matilda's likes and dislikes. Yuna and Roll eventually found an elegant bag for Matilda and got in line to pay for it.

"How are Geetz and Sera doing?" Yuna asked.

"They're doing great. They even helped Rock navigate a complicated ruin! Afterward, Sera was so relieved that the dig had gone well that she smiled! It was the first time I'd ever seen her smile!"

"Oh really? That's great! I haven't seen her smile in a very long time..."

Roll remembered something. "Ah, Yuna, you'd mentioned you've known Sera and Geetz for a long time. By any chance, did you also know someone named Trigger back then?"

"Hmm? Yes, I did." Yuna admitted, although she found the question incredibly suspicious. She had never expected Roll to ask about Trigger. "Was it Geetz who told you about him?" Yuna wanted to stay cautious. Geetz could have been using Roll to try to get information out of her.

"Yeah. Geetz said that something happened and Trigger was hurt very badly, and had to be sealed inside a ruin to recover or something. Geetz always gets this weird look on his face when he talks about him. I hope they can see each other again...Yuna, do you know anything about what happened to Trigger after Geetz and Sera were put in stasis?"

Yuna thought twice before speaking. "Yes. Trigger's appearance changed quite a bit. He used up all of his remaining strength to activate the mechanism that would allow his body to recover, and he ended up losing all of his memories." She saw no problem with saying that, since it was something that Geetz was already aware of.

"That's sad. Even if he sees Geetz, Trigger won't remember him!"

"Well, yes, you're right. I'm sure Geetz is well aware of this, though."

"Oh. Right." Roll nodded solemnly. "But despite that, Geetz hasn't lost hope. He told me that Trigger was a really nice person. Geetz speaks so well of Trigger that now I want to meet him too! And then once we find him, maybe we all could spend time together and help jog his memory!"

Yuna chuckled awkwardly. She was about to respond when a jazzy song featuring a violin began playing on the store's radio.

Roll noticed it, too. "This sound...it's a violin, isn't it? That day at the mall, we saw a violin on display in that music store. Sera seemed entranced by it. She mentioned that the Master could play the violin."

"Yes, he could." Yuna answered. "Actually, Trigger was able to play it a little, too."

"Really? Cool!" Roll was amazed. "It must be nice to know someone who can play the violin personally. It makes a very beautiful sound." Roll paused. Then her eyes lit up. "Hey, I have an idea! Yuna, do you think giving Trigger a violin might make him remember anything? We could take him to the music school in Pokte Village and ask someone to lend him a violin!"

"Hmm, I don't know..." Yuna highly doubted it. She was sure that he could regain (and probably already had) most of his original fighting functions, since they were part of his design. On the other hand, violin playing was not.

Their turn in line came and Roll paid for their purchase.

* * *

Yuna and Roll returned to Manda Island and met the rest of the group outside the village, where they had parted ways.

"How did your shopping trip go?" Rock asked. He seemed to be in a slightly better mood than he had been in the morning.

"I bought a very nice bag for my mom!" Roll answered. "I'll show you later. How are the Servbots doing?"

"They're doing great. We checked out the violin section. The violins they were playing were so small and so cute..." This got a giggle from Roll. "The teacher invited me to come watch again."

Sera glared at Rock. She wondered why he was focusing only on those little robots and why he chose to skip all of the parts about his own playing. Before she had the chance to say anything, though, Yuna addressed her.

"Sera, I believe you'd said you wanted to talk to me?"

Sera remembered she had important problems to solve. This was her opportunity to find out as much as she could about Trigger. She turned to Yuna. "Yes."

"So you haven't changed your mind. Good..."

"Grrr." Sera gritted her teeth. _You will regret mocking me like this. I will ruin whatever plan you have been concocting all this time, Yuna._ She thought angrily.

"Everyone, please excuse us. We need to discuss something in private." Yuna announced to the group. She walked away, with Sera slowly following her. When she was sure no one else would be able to overhear them, Yuna turned to her little sister. "So?"

"Yuna, where is Trigger?" Sera asked point-blank.

"Hmm?" Yuna raised an eyebrow. Apparently this was the day that everyone had decided to nag her about Trigger. Her suspicion that Geetz had intended to use Roll to get information from her was proving to be more and more likely by the hour.

"Feigning ignorance is futile. Geetz told me that Trigger is alive and that you know where he is."

"Geetz, huh? I see..." Yuna had given Rock far more details than she had given Geetz. At least Rock hadn't been the one to spill the secret.

"I will ask once more. Where is Trigger?"

"And why do you think I would tell you?" Yuna countered. "If you can give me a strong enough reason to convince me to tell, I might comply..." She waited, but her little sister seemed to be having some difficulty in coming up with an answer. Yuna decided to "help" her. "Supposing that I took you to him, what would you do?"

Sera tried to imagine the scene. A blurred image of the adult Trigger appeared in her mind. He would stare blankly at her as she and Yuna approached him. Then he would turn to Yuna and ask in a monotonous voice, "Who is this?" Trigger wouldn't recognize her. No, worse. He wouldn't remember anything about her. Back on Elysium, sometimes Sera would wish he wouldd simply forget about her and leave her alone. But now, just the thought that he wouldn't remember her was very painful.

"So?" Yuna's voice snapped her back to reality.

Sera opened her eyes and tried to keep her cool, but the hesitation was evident in her voice when she admitted, "I...I do not know."

"Hmm?" Yuna found the answer interesting. She had expected Sera to say something along the lines of, "Is it not obvious? I will terminate him." But as interesting as Sera's actual answer was, it was still pretty vague and didn't mean much. "Why do you want to know his location so badly, then? What exactly do you intend to do with him?"

Sera mulled over that question for a bit, but in the end, she gave an answer similar to the one she had given in her dream. "I have not decided yet."

"Oh. If that's the case, then I'm going to need you to decide first. I won't tell you anything unless we can come to an agreement beforehand."

Sera gritted her teeth. She had to come up with a clever comeback fast, or her plans to make Yuna give up the information would fail. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind at all. She just stared at her older sister as her mind tried fruitlessly to think of something.

"Was that all you had wanted to ask?" Yuna spoke casually. "I'm open to talking about other subjects too, if you want. I'm interested to know, for example, how your day has been. It seems like those kids have been dragging you and Geetz around quite a lot."

Sera recalled her day on Manda Island, and a dreamy expression took over her face as she recalled Rock's violin playing.

"Sera?"

Sera snapped back to attention. "Hmph." She shrugged and chose to not tell Yuna anything.

Yuna didn't seem to care. "Well, judging from your face, it looks like you've been having a very good day. If you don't want to continue talking, then perhaps we should head back."

Yuna led the way back to the place where the rest of their group was. This meant that, ironically, she ended up taking Sera to the location where Trigger's current form had been waiting for her.

Rock seemed disappointed when he saw the irritated expression on Sera's face. "I'd hoped you two would make up this time..."

Yuna sighed. "Can you believe this? She started spacing out and ignoring me right in the middle of our conversation. And she was the one who had called me to talk!"

"... Stop talking about me as if I were not here!" Sera shouted and stomped on the ground like an angry child. To lesser Elysian Units, that action would have probably caused them to recoil in fear. But to everyone present at the scene (with, perhaps, the exception of Geetz), it seemed more cute than anything.

Yuna didn't skip a beat. "Then stop ignoring me when I talk to you, and don't pretend you aren't listening." She ruffled Sera's hair and caused her face to scrunch up in embarrassment.

Roll giggled. "You're **really siblings**..."

"Do you believe it now?" Yuna shot Roll a grin.

"Yeah!" Roll nodded. She and Yuna laughed together.

Sera felt very uncomfortable. As she turned away from them, she caught Rock staring at them with an unfocused look in his eyes. He was definitely acting strangely today. He had seemed to be getting better while they had been in the music school, but now it looked like he was slipping back into his old funk from earlier.

"Well, I'll be on my way now." Yuna announced.

"Okay." Roll nodded. "Yuna, thanks for today. It was great!"

"You're welcome! Everyone, see you again!" Yuna waved goodbye and walked away.

"How about we go back to the Flutter and get some lunch at a restaurant?" Roll asked. "Yuna told me about a nice one on Dahlia Island."

"Sure." Rock agreed, but strangely, he didn't seem too enthusiastic about it.

* * *

Minutes later, the Flutter was in the air. Geetz and Roll were in the engine room as always, and Sera was standing alone in the living room, staring out into space and pretending to show an interest in the Casketts' furniture. Rock's behavior still bothered her. She debated whether or not she should check up on him when he trudged out of his bedroom.

"Rock." She called out to him.

He stopped walking upon hearing his name. "Sera?" He stared and waited for her to respond.

Sera desperately searched for suitable words. In that brief instant, she had decided to talk to him and managed to get his attention, but now she was unsure about how to continue. After a moment of hesitation, she simply said, "I wish to talk." That much should have been obvious, but it was the only thing that occurred to her as a logical continuation of the conversation.

"Okay. Let's sit down." Rock suggested and needlessly guided her to the couch a few feet behind her. They sat down.

Sera finally found the words she had intended to say in the first place. "Something seems to be bothering you."

"Huh...?" That was certainly not what he had expected to hear.

"You have been behaving strangely today." Sera tried to elaborate. "What is the matter?"

"Ah..." Rock lowered his head.

Sera began getting impatient. "You had previously stated that you would be willing to listen in the event that I found the need to speak to someone. However, I see no reason why I should discuss the issues that bother me with you if you are not willing to discuss your own issues with me."

Rock heaved a sigh. "Fair enough." A faint smile made its way to his face and he nodded.

"Then, tell me. Why did you decide against joining Roll in her shopping affairs?"

Rock raised his head and took a deep breath. "Alright. I don't remember if I've ever told you anything about this, but...the thing is...Roll and I, um..." He paused. "I was adopted. Roll and I aren't really siblings."

Sera didn't have any prior knowledge on the subject of adoption, and it took a while until she realized what he was implying. "Do you mean that you are not biologically related to the Caskett family?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean." He confirmed.

"This is..." Sera didn't know what to say. Yet another thing about Rock that she hadn't known. How many more secrets was that boy still holding onto? Sera tried to remember if he had ever mentioned anything about it before, but she couldn't think of anything.

Rock kept talking. "I have no idea where I'm supposed to be from. I've been here with Gramps and Roll for as far back as I can remember. I've been taking our everyday life for granted until a few days ago. When Yuna told us that she knows where Roll's mother is, of course I was happy for Roll. I've been helping Roll search for her parents for my entire life. But then I realized something. Despite everything, up until now I've never stopped to think about what I'd do if we eventually managed to find them. I've never met them. By the time Gramps adopted me, they had already disappeared. They don't even know I exist. So now, if we do find Roll's parents, I don't know...it might change everything. Today, Roll was so excited about buying her mom a gift, but I felt like I didn't have any right to go with her. I have nothing to do with her mother, nothing to do with her family. There's a good chance her mom might not even want me around. So now, whenever the subject of Roll's parents pops up, I feel so out of place..."

Out of place? Sera had never considered him to be out of place in the Caskett family. But what could she do about it? It was a complex issue. Sera had no experience with family related problems. She began asking herself what it was that made her insist on convincing him to talk about it. She had no idea how she could help him. She was the wrong person for him to talk to. He should have told Roll instead of her. "Is Roll aware of this matter?"

"No. I didn't tell her anything. She's been so happy since she found out about her mom. This is really important for her, and I don't want to ruin her mood. Actually, you're the first person I'm telling any of this to."

Sera felt a pang in her heart. Rock trusted her enough to be honest with her. Too honest, in fact. The same couldn't be said of herself. She had been lying to him the whole time about her health, about the Mother Lode...

Rock interrupted her thoughts. "Sometimes I find myself wondering what my real family would've been like. I come short every time, because I have no idea where to start. But now that I think about it, I'd never imagined that I could've had siblings. Just now, it occurred to me. If I'd grown up in my original family with siblings, I wonder if I'd have bonded with them differently from how I bonded with Roll."

Sera had no way to know about sibling bonds. She could tell that Rock and Roll got along very well despite not being biological siblings. Now that Rock had mentioned it, Sera wondered if the relationship between biological siblings was supposed to be any different from what Rock and Roll had now. Yuna had mentioned on more than one occasion that she and Sera were siblings, but she had probably just done that because it was the closest term she knew that the Carbons could relate to. Unlike the Carbons, the Units didn't have any kind of family. They only had the creator who had built them. Their creator didn't hold any authority over them, unless, of course, that person happened to be the Master. Geetz and Gatts were created by the same Designer Unit. Therefore, technically they could be considered siblings, just like Yuna had told the Carbons. But the fact that the two Units had their creator in common had never held any relevance at all in the System. Geetz and Gatts had nothing resembling family relations. For them, there were only superiors and subordinates. In Sera's case, the only things she considered special between herself and Yuna were that they were both designated Mother Units, and that they had been built by the Master himself. Having been built by the Master was considered an honor, and very few Units had that privilege. Only Yuna and Sera, the first ever Units created for each designation, and a few others...Sera's eyes widened for a split second when the realization hit her. Trigger had also been built by the Master, which meant that, if they were to explain their relationship using Carbon terms, then... _Technically, Trigger can be considered to be my brother...?_ She thought in bewilderment, and the concept of "siblings" suddenly began to sound interesting. An image of the baby Trigger inadvertently materialized in her mind. Her little brother. It was strange to think about him in that way, but it somehow gave Sera a sense of connection to him.

Rock's voice pulled Sera back to reality. "You have a real sister. That's cool. Yuna and Gatts are about the only other people from your time that we have around. I still think you should make up with Yuna."

Yuna's unwillingness to reveal Trigger's whereabouts was frustrating. Sera recalled their conversation from earlier and cringed.

Rock noticed her reaction. "What's the problem? You don't...dislike her, do you?"

Sera considered the question for a bit. "I would not say that I dislike her. However, I do not trust her."

"Why?"

"There are various points on which we do not agree."

"But…"

Sera cut him off. "Important matters are at stake. Issues from the past." She tried to explain the situation to him without revealing anything too important.

Rock seemed ready to throw another argument at her, but he said nothing. For a couple of minutes, they stayed quiet, lost in their own thoughts.

Sera looked at Rock. He still seemed a bit down. She had forced him to talk about his problem in hope that she would be able to give him some advice and cheer him up, but in the end, she hadn't accomplished anything. "It is unfortunate that I was unable to help you with your issue." Sera broke the silence.

"Huh...? Oh." Once Rock understood what Sera was referring to, he tried to give her a reassuring smile. "You did help. I needed to tell it to someone. Thanks."

His smile was a bit forced, just like the smiles the Master used to give her, and Sera could tell that her attempt at helping Rock was unsatisfactory. She didn't know what else to do and decided to drop the subject. She tried to think about something else. That whole talk about siblings raised another question in her mind. "Rock?"

"Hm?"

"Roll had previously stated that she had been seeking the Mother Lode in order to find her parents. What about you? What is your goal?"

"...My goal?"

"Yes. What made you decide to search for it? It was not only because of her, was it?"

"Hmm." Rock closed his eyes and took a moment to think.

"Do not tell me that you do not have a goal, or that you are going after it just because everyone else is." Sera would be very disappointed if that were the case.

"Yeah, I have one. But it's a bit...weird," he said, with his eyes still closed.

"How so?" Sera asked, genuinely willing to listen.

"Well..." Rock hesitated. He opened his eyes and looked at Sera. "It's because of a promise. I vaguely remember promising something a very long time ago. And here comes the weird part. The problem is, I don't remember what the promise was about, or even who I had promised it to! Yeah, I told you it was weird..." Rock added before Sera had a chance to criticize his reasons. He continued after a sigh. "Promises have always been a pretty serious deal to me. I only promise something when I really believe I'll be able to follow through. To think that I forgot what it was I had promised is very frustrating. And the person who I had made that promise to…they're probably going to be really disappointed in me. The only thing I know for sure about it is that I feel like it had something to do with the Mother Lode. I thought that if I went after the Mother Lode, I might remember what it was."

Was that all? Was a vague promise the strongest force propelling him forward on this path? If that had happened so long ago, it could mean that Rock had made that promise while he was still in his early developmental stages, when he was just a child and didn't know what he was talking about. If this were the case, his promise was probably irrelevant, but Sera wouldn't bring that argument up. She still needed him to get the last key, and she wouldn't want him to lose his motivation now.

"Rock," Roll called out as she entered the living room, interrupting the conversation. "Can you come here for a bit?"

"I'm coming." Rock answered. "Sera, we'll talk more later." He stood up and left.

Data, who had been hiding the entire time watching Rock and Sera's interaction, was puzzled. What was Sera doing? Was she really trying to help Rock, or was it all part of her plan to make him collect the four keys? Either way, there was only one more key to go, and the time to tell Rock the truth was approaching faster than ever. Data was surprised that Rock had been able to remember something about his promise to the Master without having his memory backups restored. But honestly, Data didn't want to think about how Rock would react when he finally told him that he wasn't a normal boy, and that the family he had been trying so hard to remember didn't even exist.

Sera remained on the couch in the living room. She closed her eyes, and various thoughts began passing through her mind. Thoughts about Yuna, about Trigger, about that whole sibling talk she had just had with Rock. Before she even realized it, she had dozed off.

X:X:X:X:X

Sera dreamed that she was in her usual room in the Sulphur-Bottom. She was sitting on the bed while listening to a Carbon orchestral CD that Bluecher had lent her. Or rather, she was trying to listen. Trigger was running around in the room in the form of a slightly older child, and he was making a lot of noise.

"Piano," He said when a piano piece began playing. Sera almost praised him for being able to identify a piano sound when he added, "Yuna has a piano."

Sera was bothered by this mention of Yuna. Both sisters had been taking turns raising him. As predicted, Yuna's name entered his vocabulary first. Even though his speech had been developing nicely, for nearly everything he said, it was Yuna this, Yuna that. Sera was already fed up with it.

"Hers is not a piano. It is a keyboard." Sera corrected him.

"Piano!" He insisted.

"Fine." Sera sighed and gave up on trying to correct him. Even if she had explained the difference between a piano and a keyboard, he wouldn't understand anyway.

The little boy kept jumping and running from one side of the room to the other. After one minute or so, he suddenly stopped in the middle of the room and stared intently at Sera.

"What is the matter?" She asked.

"You never smile." He observed.

"Huh." Sera's eye twitched. She hadn't expected him to notice that. She didn't see a problem with it...until he spoke again.

"Yuna always smiles."

"Grrr…" Sera grunted in irritation. She was tired of him comparing her to Yuna. She saw that the boy had turned his back and had begun running around again. "Trigger, would you please stay quiet for a moment? I would like to listen to the song."

He turned around and faced her again. "Will you smile?"

Sera opened her mouth to say "no," but hesitated. It was clear that he preferred Yuna to her. Sera honestly didn't even know how to smile. Even at something as simple as changing facial expressions, Yuna was better than her! If things continued that way, it would be only a matter of time before he chose Yuna and left her for good. Sera needed to do something to please him if she wanted to change that. She didn't know how to smile, but she had to try. "...Perhaps." She answered.

"Hmm…" The boy seemed curious. He had apparently decided to stay quiet just to see whether Sera would smile or not. He bounded closer and she helped him up onto the bed. He sat beside her and looked at her expectantly, but just as she was about to attempt a smile, Sera woke up.

X:X:X:X:X

When Sera awoke, it took a while for her to remember where she was. Instead of being in her usual room in the Sulphur-Bottom as she had expected, she found herself sitting on the couch in the Flutter's living room. She tried to focus, but the image of the child Trigger waiting for her to smile still nagged at her. If the dream had continued, would she have been able to smile? After a few moments of internal debate, she reluctantly stood up and headed to the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and tried to smile, but nothing even remotely resembling a smile came out. She stayed there for around three minutes, but the results were disappointing. After a few more unsuccessful attempts at smiling on command, she gave up. Sera even began doubting that she had really smiled back when Roll had claimed to have seen her do it. Even though Geetz and Rock had also said that they had seen her smile, still... _What is wrong with me?_ Sera thought. She had never cared about that kind of thing before. Why did it seem so important to her now? Sera returned to the living room and sat on the couch again.

* * *

The small island at which the Flutter had docked, Dahlia Island, had an abundance of trees and flowers, as Rock and Roll and the gang were able to observe on their way to its town. Rock talked to a few people and the group learned that the town's economy revolved around Dahlia Island's natural resources, and that the restaurant was one of its main attractions. It served nutrient-rich food made with freshly picked vegetables, various kinds of fish and fruit rarely found outside that particular island. It was all thanks to the town's inhabitants. In general, they strived to maintain the wilderness around Dahlia Island. The Units were impressed. Preserving nature was one of the main tasks The Master had designated for the Carbons, and the Carbons here proved to be quite adept at it.

The group ate at the restaurant. The vegetables were wonderful. Even better than the ones from the restaurant at the shopping mall.

Sera caught herself imagining coming there with the child version of Trigger. He would have seen all those greens and immediately made a face. He would have insisted that he didn't like vegetables and refused to eat them. "You've never even eaten these before! How can you know that you really dislike them?!" Sera would have reprimanded him, but he would keep refusing. In the end, not knowing what else to do to convince him to eat, Sera would have ended up leaving the task to Roll. The girl certainly would have been more successful at that task than she would have been. Anyone would probably be more successful than she would have been...

After lunch, the group briefly checked a few places in town, then decided to head back. They stopped to observe the flowers in a field on the way to the Flutter.

"Sera! Look!" Roll gently pulled the Mother Unit by the hand towards a flowerbed. Data, who had once again decided to ride on Roll's back, closed his eyes tightly as he held on for dear life.

Sera found herself unable to avoid gasping at the sight before her. Multiple shades of yellow, green, red, pink, and white stretched beyond her line of sight. The beauty of those delicate plants managed to elicit a deep feeling of peace within Sera. She reluctantly knelt down to touch one of the flowers and examined it closely. The color, the aroma, the texture...everything had so much life. It was so different from Elysium's artificial flowers. "They are indescribably beautiful. However, they will indubitably wither away soon."

"Yeah..." Roll agreed with a peaceful expression. "I guess we're lucky to be here seeing them now, since they only blossom for a short time. If we come here again in a few days, they might've withered away already. Or maybe other flowers will be here in their place instead. We should really enjoy them while we can."

"Ah...I understand now." Geetz murmured. All eyes turned to him, and he felt the need to explain. "Back where we lived, the Master had discovered a means to produce flowers artificially. He created ideal conditions in the environment that prevented them from withering. They never changed, and were kept in a permanent blossoming state."

"Oh..." Roll remarked. Just thinking about the kind of technology required for that to happen impressed her.

"His intention was to create perfect flowers." Geetz continued. "We had believed the real flowers' short lifespans to be a flaw, and thought that they would be improved upon if we could keep them in their blossoming state indefinitely. However, this was apparently not the case. Once, I overheard..." He hesitated a bit. "I heard that the Master was having doubts about maintaining those artificial flowers." Geetz wouldn't say that Trigger had been the one to tell him that. "Apparently his complaint was that they no longer caused the same emotional impact as they did initially. At the time, I could not understand the reasoning behind this line of thought. However, now that I have seen these real flowers, I think I understand. Even though the artificial flowers were beautiful at first sight, we had known that they would remain unchanged forever. We would never see them for the first time again. We began to take them for granted, until we eventually stopped paying attention to them entirely. The real flowers, on the other hand, have an extremely brief period in which they show their true beauty. The fact that they may not remain in this state for long forces us to pay attention to them. As Miss Roll just stated, it seems that this short-lived blossoming period is one of the factors that makes them rare and special."

Everyone silently agreed and went back to contemplating the flowers.

_Their lives are so short..._ Sera thought. _In a way, they are just like the Carbons..._

"I think that goes for people too." Rock suddenly broke the silence and practically echoed Sera's thoughts. "Since life's short, we should enjoy each other's company as much as we can."

"I have an idea!" Roll clasped her hands. "Why don't we take a picture and record this special moment?"

"Good idea. I'll get the camera." Rock ran off and left for the Flutter.

He returned with a digital camera and showed the Units how to work it. Everyone took turns taking pictures. The teenagers made Sera take a photo of the flowers, while Geetz took photos of Rock, Roll and Sera. Even Data had to get to work because Rock placed him on a tree branch and gave him the camera.

"I think this is enough for today." Roll announced after they had finished taking pictures. "Shall we head back now?"

Geetz looked at Sera for confirmation. The Mother Unit had become distracted as she gave the flowers a last glance. He was about to call her name to get her attention when the corners of her mouth quirked upward. Her smile only lasted a fraction of a second, though, and Geetz wondered whether he had indeed seen her smile or if it was just his imagination. However...

"Yeah, perfect!" Rock exclaimed with the camera in hand.

"Huh, what?" Roll approached him curiously. Rock showed her the camera. She looked at its small screen and squealed. "Ah, Rock! When did this happen? I didn't see anything!"

"Just now. Talk about a short-lived display..."

"What is it?" Geetz was unable to contain his curiosity. Rock wordlessly showed him the camera, and he gasped. The screen displayed a picture of him next to Sera. Both were turned towards the flowerbed on the right, and the Mother Unit had a smile on her face. It was identical to the smile that Geetz had nearly missed. A short-lived display indeed. Geetz could count on his fingers the number of times he had seen Sera smile, and in the few times she had done so, her change of expression lasted from a blink at least to a couple of seconds at most. A very rare occurrence, maybe even rarer than the real flowers. Geetz was definitely impressed that Rock had somehow managed to effectively record it for future viewing. "You managed to capture an extraordinarily rare moment. Excellent job, Mister Rock."

"I'd been meaning to take a picture of you two before we left. Then it happened, so I pressed the button as quickly as I could!" Rock explained.

"What happened?" Sera also couldn't hold her curiosity in.

"You gave us a very nice smile!" He extended the camera for her to see.

Sera was also stunned. Sure enough, the picture showed her alongside Geetz, with a calm expression and a gentle smile on her face. It was the proof she had wanted. The proof that she was capable of smiling. However, as it had been with that time in the Flutter, she couldn't recall physically doing anything different. That smile must have been caused by an involuntary movement of her face. In other words, it was most likely a random occurrence. Her inability to produce a smile of her own free will was even more apparent now. If her dream had continued, she probably wouldn't have been able to smile on command. Her inability to perform supposedly simple actions like this one would likely have played a big part in defining Trigger's choice of who to stay with. He would undoubtedly have chosen Yuna, who was constantly smiling, and who also probably would have allowed him to do whatever he wanted and rarely scolded him. Sera was against spoiling him like that, one more reason for Trigger to choose Yuna over her. Even though that scenario was only a dream, since Trigger had most likely been raised by Yuna in reality, it was nearly the equivalent of having him taken away. Sera didn't stand a chance against Yuna. She probably never would...

Then Sera had another realization. She had always done everything to the best of her ability to try to please the Master. However, she had never cared to notice any of the other Units' facial expressions. She had believed that they were just simulations that meant nothing. Now that she knew they were real, another possibility cropped up in her mind. As weird as it sounded, her inability to do simple things such as smiling could have also played a part in making the Master unsatisfied with her. Worst of all, she knew that if the Master had ever explicitly asked her to smile, she would have disregarded his request, and would merely have said that he was acting irrationally in prompting Units to uselessly simulate human behavior. There was no rule within the system that required Units to change facial expressions. Trigger on the other hand, didn't seem to care whether those actions were covered by the rules or not. He was the complete opposite of her. He constantly smiled, laughed and did so much more. It could have been one of the reasons why the Master had enjoyed the Purifier's company so much. It was a fact. Sera didn't stand a chance against Trigger, either.

"That smile was really nice!" Roll said as she walked up to her, but the compliment seemed to have had the opposite effect from what she had intended. "Huh? Sera, what's wrong?"

Sera heaved a sigh. After a bit of hesitation, she began. "This picture makes it apparent that I might be unable to smile."

"What do you mean?" Rock didn't understand. "You're smiling in the picture. Isn't that the opposite?"

"No." Sera turned her head to her right and stared at the spot where Rock stood. "I do not recall doing anything different at the time you took this picture. What is displayed on there is most likely a result of an involuntary movement. In other words, I seem to be unable to smile at will."

"Hmm, um..." Rock didn't know how to respond. From the look on Roll's face, she was in the same situation.

Sera turned her head away from him. She refused to look directly at anyone and closed her eyes in shame.

No one knew how to react as they stared at the Mother Unit. Since Sera had always looked so sure of herself, seeing her in her current state was surprising to everyone.

An uncomfortable silence followed, which Sera broke. "In the past, I did not assign much significance to such things, aside from the fact that I had always wished the Master would smile brightly at me. Now I realize that I might have never smiled at him, either. And I suspect that I would not have been able to smile back then, even if I had tried to."

"Oh..." Was all that Roll could manage to say.

"Mistress Sera..." Geetz murmured.

"But you still want to smile whenever you'd like to, right?" Rock asked.

"... Yes." Sera confessed.

"You said you didn't think much about this kind of thing." Rock spoke. "You're just not used to it. Now that you're giving it more thought, it'll probably get easier."

"We'll help you." Roll added.

"Yeah, you can count on us," Rock said reassuringly.

Sera found her system temperature rising again, just like it always did when those Carbons gave her supportive words. She couldn't resist and slowly opened her eyes to risk a glance at the teenagers. They had expectant looks in their eyes. Why were they so determined to help her? She couldn't understand.

Rock continued talking. "You can do it. After you do it enough times, even if it isn't on purpose, you'll get the hang of it."

Sera had her doubts, but their words and the determination in their eyes reassured her. She hoped she could learn how to smile freely soon. The Master was no longer there to see her smile, but those teenagers had slowly been earning a special place in her heart. Sera wished she could teach herself to smile willingly at them at least once before the Reinitialization would take them away from her as well.

"We can't tell you exactly how to produce a smile." Roll spoke up. "It comes so naturally for us that it's hard to explain how to do it. But like we said before, we'll find a lot of things you like and help stimulate it! Let's see...we could...hey, I've got it!" She clapped. "When I was buying my mother's gift, violin music began playing on the store's radio, and I thought of you right away! Because of that violin in the music store, I knew that you'd like violin music!"

"Yes, she does." Geetz confirmed. "I noticed that she had enjoyed the sound a lot when the Master occasionally played the violin for us. I also noticed it at that party aboard the Sulphur-Bottom, and also earlier today when Mister Rock played the instrument at the music school..."

"Huh...?" Roll was confused. "Rock did what?"

Sera found it strange to see that Roll was surprised to hear about that.

"Hahaha!" Rock sheepishly tried to summarize. "I... um, I gave it a go with the teacher's violin. I actually managed to play a short song he had been teaching the Servbots! It was fun. It felt great and...I don't know how to explain it." Rock had a dreamy expression as he tried to describe what he had felt. "I wish I had a violin so I could learn to play more things. Maybe I should have bought that one we saw in the music store..."

Roll was surprised. She had never imagined Rock would become interested in playing the violin, out of all instruments. He had never shown interest in any musical instrument before.

Still on Roll's back, Data was also surprised that Rock had decided to try his hand at the violin again. Sure, the boy had always been eager to learn something new and tried his hand at a lot of things, but even so, choosing the violin out of all instruments had been a strange coincidence. And judging from Rock's dreamy expression, he had really enjoyed playing the instrument at the music school. Could it be that he had remembered something about the time he had learned the instrument from the Master? No, that should have been impossible without the use of any memory backups. Data really wished he could listen to his friend's violin playing again. But unfortunately, Trigger's violin studies weren't among the important memories concerning the Master's last wish, and Data didn't have a backup of them.

"Your performance was good." Sera gave her opinion. "Not perfect, but quite enjoyable."

"Uh...thanks." Rock scratched his head in embarrassment. "Glad to hear that you liked it, even though it's coming from a beginner like me!" Or at least, Rock assumed he was a beginner. Even though he didn't remember how long he had been taking lessons, he estimated it had been from just a few months at least to a couple of years at most. He was sure that if he had spent a lot more of his childhood taking lessons, he wouldn't be having so much trouble remembering them right now. "Now that we know you like my playing, that's one more reason for me to get a violin! If I get one, I can play it to you whenever you want!"

Sera actually liked the idea. Her regrets from breaking the Master's violin and denying both the Master and Trigger the pleasure of playing the instrument made her wish that Rock could get a violin and play to his heart's content, even if he could only play it until the Reinitialization took place. Since they needed only one more key, it would be happening very soon. His music would be short-lived, just like the real flowers. Even so, Sera wanted to listen to it. She would be sure to make the most of his music while she had the chance. She failed to notice that her face had begun to relax. It relaxed until the corners of her mouth curved up again.

"Aaah!" Roll squealed in excitement. "See? You did it again! You were smiling just now!"

"...I was?" Sera had a hard time believing it.

"Yeah," Rock confirmed. "And I don't even have the violin yet! It's decided! I need to get a violin. Something tells me that it's the key to unlocking your smiles faster!"

"Mister Rock, Miss Roll." Geetz spoke. "We really appreciate everything that you have been doing for us. But why do you insist on helping us so much?"

Roll turned her head in his direction. "Like I said before, since you're new to this world, we want you two to have a good stay. And we're your friends! Or at least, we would really like to be your friends..."

"Friends?" The Servitor repeated.

"Yeah." Rock addressed the two Units. "We consider you two our friends. I've been wondering if you think the same of us..."

Sera mulled over that question for a bit, and in the end she had to admit, "I am unsure about how to answer this question. Due to the way we lived in the past, we are not very familiar with the concept of friendship."

"Ah." Rock seemed to understand. "Yuna told me that you didn't have friends back then."

Sera's face involuntarily scrunched up when she heard Rock mention Yuna.

He noticed her displeasure. "Ah, sorry!"

Sera ignored his apology. "Define 'friend.'" She demanded.

"Basically, someone that you get along with..." Roll tried to explain.

Rock added, "Someone that you like a lot and that you enjoy spending time with."

Even though Sera saw no reason why they would enjoy spending time in her presence, she definitely enjoyed their company. "Then...from this definition alone...I guess so. We are friends." Her answer surprised everyone, including Geetz and Data.

"...Really?" Rock's eyes lit up while Roll smiled.

"Y-yes." Geetz also made his opinion known.

Roll squealed happily, and Rock gave them a wide smile.

Sera witnessed every trace of Rock's sad mood completely melt away at last, and he smiled just the way she would have liked the Master to have smiled at her. She had been so concerned about not knowing how she could help pull Rock out of his depressed state, and somehow she managed to do it! Oddly, all it took was a simple affirmation...however, her feeling of relief vanished when Rock suddenly asked, "After we get the last key and all, what are you two going to do?"

Sera froze. She felt horrible about lying to them about the "Mother Lode." Sera felt the urge to tell them the truth...but just a few seconds earlier, she and Geetz had admitted that they considered the teenagers friends. She couldn't say it. It didn't feel right to betray their trust like that...

Fortunately for her, Geetz saved her the trouble of answering. "We have no way to know what will happen in the future. We will think about it when the time comes."

Roll seemed satisfied with his answer. "Yeah, we don't even know what will happen to us tomorrow, much less after a big event like finding the Mother Lode..."

"Hmm. Yeah..." Rock slowly nodded. "You're right. Since Roll and I started looking for the Mother Lode, we've visited a lot of islands together. We meet a lot of people and make many friends. But since we're always moving from island to island, we don't see most of them again after that. We're already at the last key. This means we don't have much time until we find the Mother Lode...and we don't know what will happen. The time we have to spend with each other might be short, just like those flowers. The best we can do is just enjoy this friendship as much as we can while we have it."

_Friendship..._ Geetz thought. Although he didn't know exactly what that word meant, he had heard from the Master that friends were rare and precious. Geetz had assumed friendship was one of those privileges exclusive to the true humans, and that a mere servant like him didn't have even the right to understand it. To think that one day, he would also have friends. Two of them, no less. He recalled Roll's words from when he had told her about Trigger for the first time.

"Don't worry. You'll find him, I'm sure," She had said. "From what you said, it sounded like you really care about him, and that he's a very good person. I'm sure he'd give his best to recover from whatever condition he was in, knowing that he has good friends that believe in him so much, like you."

Trigger was his superior. Was friendship even possible between superiors and subordinates? Could he and Trigger be considered friends? If he met the Purifier again, would they get along? Geetz was lost in thought as he followed the group back to the Flutter.

Sera had also been lost in thought. It had been a very short time since she had met those Carbons, but soon they'd need to go. As much as she had been enjoying their company, the rules had no place for her pleasures. When the time came, she would have to do what needed to be done. Until then, though, Sera would do as Rock suggested and allow herself to make the most of her time with them while she still had it. She would enjoy the time she spent watching that small flower just beginning to blossom. That delicate and rare flower she had never seen before, called friendship.

Data relaxed a little when he noticed the peaceful expressions on the Units' faces. By that point, even he was becoming convinced that those two Units were starting to change. _You did it, Rock,_ the little monkey thought, with a wide smile of his own. _You __**finally**__ did it..._

* * *

A/n: about Roll's parents. In canon, Roll and Rock are the same age and her parents disappeared ten years before Legends 2, meaning that the kids were around five years old. If Rock had been living with Roll for his whole life (or at least meeting her regularly before her parents' disappearance), he probably had met Matilda and Banner many times. In the beginning of the game, Roll proves that she remembers her parents, or at least her mother. But strangely, Rock doesn't seem to remember anything about them at all. He seemed very surprised when Roll said that the woman on the television was her mother.

Again, in this story, Roll is a bit older than Rock, and her parents had disappeared before Rock's arrival. This makes a bigger impact on Roll's life as she tries to get over it while helping Rock, and creates a stronger reason for the turmoil in Rock's head about not having a family and all.

In chapter 1, when Rock talks about Gramps, he actually tells Sera that he's adopted.


End file.
